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Glue vs Unity AR Foundation

Glue logo

Glue

Software

VR collaboration platform for enterprise teams

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unity AR Foundation logo

Unity AR Foundation

Software

Unified AR development framework for Unity

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Unity AR Foundation has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Glue glue has been acquired, and the pricing page carries a Glue Has Been Acquired notice; Unity AR Foundation requires platform-specific plugins (ARCore, ARKit) to actually implement AR features
  • They diverge on capability: Glue covers VR meetings, Unity AR Foundation covers Plane detection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glue and Unity AR Foundation actually diverge.

Attributes where Glue and Unity AR Foundation differ
AttributeGlueUnity AR Foundation
Starting price$25/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsVr, Pc, QuestiOS, Android, visionOS, HoloLens 2, Meta Quest, Unity Editor
Founded20172004

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Glue

  • VR meetings
  • Realistic avatars
  • Spatial tools
  • 3D visualization
  • Microsoft 365
  • Slack
  • Enterprise SSO
  • Vr support

Only in Unity AR Foundation

  • Plane detection
  • Image tracking
  • Face tracking
  • Point clouds
  • ARKit
  • ARCore
  • OpenXR
  • Magic Leap

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Glue

  • Virtual reality team collaboration spaces for distributed teamsnot Unity AR Foundation
  • Immersive training and workshops in shared 3D environmentsnot Unity AR Foundation
  • Reviewing 3D content together in VRnot Unity AR Foundation

Unity AR Foundation

  • VR Gamingnot Glue
  • AR Marketingnot Glue
  • Virtual Trainingnot Glue
  • 3D Visualizationnot Glue
  • Immersive Experiencesnot Glue

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Glue

  • Glue has been acquired, and the pricing page carries a Glue Has Been Acquired notice
  • The free tier is limited to 10 team members, 10 team spaces, 30 minutes of session time per session and 2GB of team file storage
  • Professional is EUR 50 per user per month billed yearly and EUR 60 per user per month billed monthly
  • Single sign on, service level agreement, priority support and premium onboarding are Enterprise only
  • Branded and custom team spaces and custom hosting options are Enterprise only
  • Browser only sessions are an Enterprise feature
  • Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales

Unity AR Foundation

  • Requires platform-specific plugins (ARCore, ARKit) to actually implement AR features
  • Performance varies significantly by device, with battery drain and heat generation on mobile
  • Emulators cannot accurately test AR experiences due to missing camera and sensor data
  • No WebXR support for browser-based AR experiences
  • Occlusion features show lower performance at 25-40 FPS compared to other features at 40-60 FPS
  • Limited access to latest platform-specific features compared to native ARKit or ARCore

Pricing, plan by plan

Glue

$25/month
  • Team$25/month
    • VR meetings
    • Collaboration tools
    • 3D content

Unity AR Foundation

Free
  • Included with Unity PersonalFree
    • Free for individuals and small teams with under $200K revenue/funding
    • AR Foundation package included
    • Access to all core AR features
  • Included with Unity Pro$185/month
    • Professional tier licensing
    • AR Foundation package included
    • All core AR features plus Pro-level support

Which should you pick?

Choose Glue if

  • You need vr meetings.
  • You work on Vr, Pc, Quest.
  • You also want realistic avatars.
Glue review

Choose Unity AR Foundation if

  • You need plane detection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, visionOS, HoloLens 2, Meta Quest, Unity Editor.
  • You also want image tracking.
Unity AR Foundation review

Questions people ask

Is Glue or Unity AR Foundation better?
Neither clearly leads. Glue starts at $25/month and Unity AR Foundation at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glue or Unity AR Foundation?
Unity AR Foundation has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Glue and Free for Unity AR Foundation.
Does Glue or Unity AR Foundation run on more platforms?
Glue runs on Vr, Pc, Quest. Unity AR Foundation runs on iOS, Android, visionOS, HoloLens 2, Meta Quest, Unity Editor.
Can I use Unity AR Foundation for free?
Yes. Unity AR Foundation has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Glue starts at $25/month.
What is Glue best used for?
Glue is most often used for virtual reality team collaboration spaces for distributed teams, immersive training and workshops in shared 3d environments, reviewing 3d content together in vr. Of those, virtual reality team collaboration spaces for distributed teams and immersive training and workshops in shared 3d environments are not what Unity AR Foundation is typically brought in for.
What can Glue do that Unity AR Foundation cannot?
Glue covers VR meetings, Realistic avatars, Spatial tools, 3D visualization. Unity AR Foundation covers Plane detection, Image tracking, Face tracking, Point clouds.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Unity AR Foundation: Is Unity AR Foundation free?

Yes, AR Foundation is free and included with Unity. It is a package within the Unity engine, though you need a Unity license (available free for personal use with under $200K revenue).

Source
Unity AR Foundation: What platforms does AR Foundation support?

AR Foundation supports iOS (via ARKit), Android (via ARCore), visionOS, HoloLens 2 (via OpenXR), and Meta Quest (via OpenXR). Testing in the Unity Editor is available through XR Simulation.

Source
Unity AR Foundation: Do I need additional plugins to use AR Foundation?

Yes. AR Foundation is an abstraction layer and requires platform-specific plugins: ARCore XR Plugin for Android and ARKit XR Plugin for iOS. These plugins implement actual AR features using native SDKs.

Source
Unity AR Foundation: Can I test AR experiences in the Unity Editor?

AR Foundation supports XR Simulation in the Editor for early testing, but accurate AR testing requires real devices because emulators cannot replicate camera and sensor data accurately.

Source
Unity AR Foundation: Does AR Foundation support web-based AR?

No, AR Foundation does not support WebXR. Unity has stated there are no current plans to add WebXR support to AR Foundation. Web AR requires alternative solutions like 8th Wall.

Source
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