ARCorevs
ARKit
ARKit: Apple's native AR framework for iOS and macOS with similar motion tracking and environmental understanding
ARCore
Google's platform for building AR experiences
As of 30 August 2026, ARCore is free to use. ARCore is Google's platform for building augmented reality experiences on Android and iOS. Softwr lists it under AR VR. ARCore is made by Google, launched in 1998, available on Android, iOS, Web.
Overview
What ARCore does
ARCore is Google's platform for building augmented reality experiences on Android and iOS. It provides motion tracking, environmental understanding, light estimation, and Cloud Anchors for creating shared AR experiences.
What people use it for
- VR Gaming
- AR Marketing
- Virtual Training
- 3D Visualization
- Immersive Experiences
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about ARCore.
- ARCore limited to Android 7.0+, excluding older Android devices
- Requires integration with game engines or frameworks for most applications
- Cloud anchors rely on internet connectivity for shared AR experiences
- Performance varies significantly across different Android device capabilities
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of ARCore
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- ARCorevsVuforia
Vuforia: Enterprise AR platform with image recognition and 3D object tracking capabilities
- ARCorevs8th Wall
8th Wall: WebXR-based AR platform enabling AR experiences in web browsers without app installation
- ARCorevsNiantic Lightship
Niantic Lightship: AR platform with emphasis on location-based and real-time multiplayer AR experiences
Pricing
What ARCore costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Full SDK
- Cloud Anchors
- Geospatial API
Capabilities
Features
Motion tracking
Environmental understanding
Light estimation
Depth API
Unity
Integration with Unity
Unreal
Integration with Unreal
Android Studio
Integration with Android Studio
Ar support
Available on ar
Android support
Available on android
Ios support
Available on ios
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What platforms does ARCore support?
ARCore supports Android 7.0 (Nougat) and later on qualified Android phones. SDKs are also available for iOS, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Web (WebXR).
SourceWhat are the three core capabilities of ARCore?
ARCore provides motion tracking to monitor device position, environmental understanding to detect surfaces like floors and walls, and light estimation to analyze surrounding lighting conditions.
SourceCan developers build shared AR experiences with ARCore?
Yes, ARCore supports cloud anchors enabling multiple users to see the same virtual objects in the real world, enabling shared AR experiences.
SourceWhat programming languages does ARCore support?
ARCore supports Kotlin and Java for Android, C through Android NDK, and provides APIs for Unity, Unreal Engine, iOS, and Web platforms.
SourceBehind it
Who makes ARCore
- Company
- Based in
- Mountain View, California
Timeline
ARCore over time
Keep looking
Where to go from ARCore
- ARCore alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- ARCore pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- ARCore badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All AR VR softwareThe full category
- Best AR VR softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best AR VR software for
Compare ARCore with
- ARKit
- Niantic Lightship
- Wikitude
- Unity AR Foundation
- Vuforia
- A-Frame
- Lens Studio
- TikTok Effect House
- Instagram AR Effects
- AltspaceVR
- PlayStation VR2
- Virbela
- Gravity Sketch
- Apple Vision Pro
- 8th Wall
- TikTok Effect House
- Spark AR Studio
- Instagram AR Effects
Other AR VR software
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for ARCore, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on ARCore
ARCore alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
ARCore pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare ARCore
Put it head to head with anything we hold
ARCore badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best AR VR software alternatives
Powerful 3D engine for the web with WebXR