ARKit vs Gather

Yes, ARKit is free to use. It is included in Apple's iOS SDK and requires only Xcode and a Mac to start building AR apps. There are no licensing fees or subscription costs.

Gather offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required that includes up to 50 team members and access to all features including meetings, chat, AI meeting notes, and full office customization.

ARKit is supported on iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro models, and the latest iPad models. It requires iOS 11 or later. Apple Vision Pro also supports ARKit with enhanced capabilities through visionOS.

Gather recreates natural office dynamics through spatial audio and proximity-based interactions, allowing colleagues to bump into each other and have quick conversations without scheduled calls. Teams report shorter, more organic conversations that wrap up in under 10 minutes.

ARKit can function offline for tracking and scene understanding since these operations run locally on the device. However, multiplayer AR features and cloud-based object detection require internet connectivity.

Gather works on web browsers and integrates with Slack and Google Chat. The platform supports audio/video calls, screen sharing, and custom workspace design.

Yes, ARKit integrates with Unity through the Unity ARKit Plugin and with Unreal Engine. Developers can also use it with Metal, SceneKit, and Apple's RealityKit framework.

Gather is a web-based platform that requires an internet connection to function, though it emphasizes quick connection and low bandwidth requirements compared to traditional video conferencing.

ARKit's location-based positioning has accuracy limitations. Image-based positioning is primarily useful in urban areas, and beacon-based navigation provides accuracy of 3-5 meters, which is insufficient for precise AR applications requiring 1-meter accuracy or better.