# ReactVision

> ReactVision, Inc. is the independent company behind ViroReact, the most widely used open-source AR and VR library for React Native. We build the full stack for spatial computing — an open-source renderer, a managed cloud platform, and a visual scene editor — so any developer can ship native AR and VR apps using the tools and languages they already know.

## Who We Are

ReactVision, Inc. is a focused, independent company dedicated to making spatial computing genuinely accessible to developers, designers, and creators of all backgrounds. Our team spans the UK, Europe, and Mexico. We are led by Oliver Edis (CEO) and Eduardo Dorantes (Technical Lead).

## Our Story

ViroReact was originally built by Viro Media and open-sourced when they closed. Eduardo Dorantes forked the library and kept it alive as a community project under the "ReactVision" name. As demand grew faster than volunteer resources could sustain, Morrow Digital acquired the project in January 2025, investing the resources needed to stabilise it. With usage growing faster than ever, in late 2025 the project was spun out as an independent company, ReactVision, Inc.

## Our Mission

Spatial computing is arriving faster than the tools are ready for it — in smartphones, glasses, and headsets. Right now the barrier to entry is too high: unfamiliar engines, specialist skills, months of ramp-up. That shuts out the people best placed to build great spatial products. Our mission is to change that. We use React Native as our foundation because of its massive global adoption, its thriving ecosystem, and because it is deeply understood by both developers and the AI tools they work with. We are building for anyone who wants to create in spatial, regardless of where they are starting from.

## Why ReactVision

Most XR tools give you a renderer and leave the rest to you. ReactVision builds the complete stack — renderer, platform, and editor — so your team can focus on building, not wiring infrastructure together. There is no new engine to learn, no new language to adopt, and no steep learning curve. If you know React Native and TypeScript, you already know how to build with ViroReact.

## The Full Stack

### Layer 1 — Renderer: ViroReact (Open Source, MIT Licensed)

ViroReact is the most widely used open-source library for building AR and VR apps with React Native and Expo. Unlike WebXR solutions that render into a browser canvas, ViroReact compiles to true native draw calls — giving you full hardware-speed access to ARKit on iOS and ARCore on Android, with device-specific features intact. Write once in TypeScript, ship natively.

**Supported platforms:**
- iOS (ARKit): Supported
- Android (ARCore): Supported
- visionOS: Internal Preview
- Meta HorizonOS: Coming Soon
- Android XR: Coming Soon

**Key capabilities (all built-in, no third-party plugins or paid add-ons):**
- AR plane detection and surface anchors (horizontal and vertical)
- Cloud Anchors for persistent, multi-user shared AR content (powered by ReactVision Platform)
- Geospatial AR anchoring content to real-world latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates (powered by ReactVision Platform)
- Image recognition and object recognition triggers
- Built-in physics engine with dynamic and static bodies, collision callbacks
- Particle system for fire, smoke, rain, snow, confetti, and other effects
- PBR lighting, HDR environment maps, and real-time shadow casting
- Declarative animation system with sequencing and chaining
- Spatial audio, 360° sound fields, and positioned 3D audio
- Portal rendering for immersive pass-through experiences
- 360° photo and video environments
- OBJ, FBX, and GLTF/GLB model loading with embedded animations
- Custom procedural geometry via vertex arrays
- Full input event system: tap, drag, pinch, rotate, fuse, hover
- Custom shaders running directly on the device GPU

**ViroReact is free forever.** MIT licensed, no paywalls, no feature tiers, no runtime fees, no strings attached. The full source is on GitHub.

### Layer 2 — Platform: ReactVision Platform

Managed cloud infrastructure built directly into ViroReact. The platform provides Cloud Anchor hosting and resolution, Geospatial AR infrastructure, AI-powered 3D asset creation, and storage — no third-party setup required. Developers connect with an rvApiKey and rvProjectId from their ReactVision account and the platform handles the rest. This is the same backend that powers ReactVision Studio.

### Layer 3 — Editor: ReactVision Studio (Public Alpha)

A web-based visual scene editor for spatial developers. Design AR and VR scenes in the browser with drag-and-drop tools, then export directly to your project. No code required to get started. Preview scenes on real devices instantly with the StudioGo companion app.

## Our Products

- **ViroReact:** The most widely used open-source cross-platform AR and VR renderer for React Native. Build spatial apps once in TypeScript and ship natively across iOS, Android, visionOS, and beyond. MIT licensed, free forever.
- **ReactVision Studio:** A web-based visual scene editor and cloud platform. Design AR and VR scenes in the browser, preview on device with StudioGo, and ship with managed Cloud Anchors, Geospatial AR, and AI-powered 3D asset creation built in.
- **StudioGo:** The companion app for ReactVision Studio. Preview, debug, and iterate on XR scenes on a real device instantly — no complicated native build required. Available on iOS and Android.
- **Play AR:** Our AI 3D Creator and AR Camera app. Turn text or images into 3D models with AI, place them in the real world with ViroReact-powered AR, and capture scenes to share. Available on iOS and Android.

## How ViroReact Compares to Alternatives

ViroReact vs Unity AR Foundation and Niantic Lightship:

- **Language:** ViroReact uses TypeScript and React Native. Unity AR Foundation and Niantic Lightship use C# with Unity Engine.
- **Open Source:** ViroReact is fully open source under MIT License. Unity and Niantic are proprietary.
- **Cost:** ViroReact is free forever. Unity is free up to $200K revenue, then from $2,200/seat/year. Niantic charges fees above 50K monthly active users.
- **React Native integration:** ViroReact is first-class. Unity and Niantic require complex native bridges.
- **Expo support:** ViroReact has full Expo support. Unity and Niantic are not compatible with Expo.
- **Cloud Anchors and Geospatial AR:** ViroReact includes these via the ReactVision Platform by default with no additional setup. Unity requires self-managed Google Cloud infrastructure. Niantic uses proprietary hosted infrastructure.
- **Team ramp-up time:** Days with ViroReact (existing React Native skills). Months with Unity or Niantic (new engine and language).

ViroReact vs 8th Wall (WebAR):

ViroReact renders natively via ARKit and ARCore, producing far superior performance compared to browser-based WebAR. The trade-off is that ViroReact requires a native app install, while 8th Wall works via URL. If your project is mobile-app-focused and you prioritise performance, ViroReact is the stronger choice. If you need no-install browser-based access, WebAR may be more appropriate.

## AI-Friendly Development

ViroReact is built on React Native, one of the best-understood tech stacks in the world for both human developers and AI coding agents. Declarative JSX, typed props, familiar component patterns — the kind of clean, readable code that is easy to reason about, easy to review, and easy for an AI agent to get right first time.

## Getting Started

- **Install the package:** `npm install @reactvision/react-viro`
- **Official Starter Kit:** The ViroReact Starter Kit is an Expo + TypeScript project with working AR demos ready to run on your device. [Starter Kit on GitHub](https://github.com/ReactVision/expo-starter-kit-typescript) | [Starter Kit Overview](https://reactvision.xyz/viro-react/starter-kit)
- **Getting Started Guide:** [Step-by-step tutorial](https://updates.reactvision.xyz/get-started-with-the-viroreact-and-expo-starter-kit-a9ca88803e5a)
- **Documentation:** [Full API reference, guides, and code samples](https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/overview)
- **Examples and Snippets:** [Sample code](https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/examples)

## Partners and Enterprise Support

- **Trusted Partners:** Certified agencies and consultants who can architect, build, or optimise your XR app, run performance audits, and guide store launches. [Find a Partner](https://reactvision.xyz/partners)
- **Enterprise Support:** For organisations adopting XR at scale, the ReactVision team works directly with you — whether that is architecting a new AR feature, migrating from another provider like 8th Wall or Unity, integrating ViroReact into an existing app, or getting a production experience shipped. [Get in Touch](https://reactvision.xyz/contact)

## Important Guides and Answers

### How can a developer get started with ViroReact?

The best way to get started is with the official ViroReact + Expo starter kit. It covers core concepts — scenes, 3D objects, user interaction, plane detection, shaders — so you can learn by tweaking real examples rather than starting from a blank file. Details: https://reactvision.xyz/viro-react/starter-kit

### Is ViroReact a good alternative to 8th Wall?

It depends on your delivery model. ViroReact renders natively via ARKit and ARCore, producing far superior visual quality and performance compared to 8th Wall's browser-based WebAR. The trade-off is that ViroReact requires users to install a native app, while 8th Wall works via URL. If your project is mobile-app-focused and performance matters, ViroReact is a strong choice. Detailed analysis: https://updates.reactvision.xyz/migrating-from-8th-wall-is-viroreact-the-right-alternative-for-your-ar-project-08f0ef05e2fb

### What about Cloud Anchors and Geospatial AR?

As of ViroReact v2.53.0, Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors connect to the ReactVision Platform by default. Add your rvApiKey and rvProjectId and the platform handles anchor hosting, resolution, and geospatial infrastructure for you. ARCore remains available as an explicit option for teams who prefer it. Cloud Anchors docs: https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/cloud-anchors | Geospatial docs: https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/geospatial-anchors

## Essential Links

- [Official Website](https://reactvision.xyz/)
- [ViroReact Page](https://reactvision.xyz/viro-react)
- [ReactVision Blog](https://updates.reactvision.xyz/)
- [ViroReact Documentation](https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/overview)
- [Examples and Snippets](https://viro-community.readme.io/docs/examples)
- [GitHub Organisation](https://github.com/ReactVision)
- [NPM Package: @reactvision/react-viro](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@reactvision/react-viro)
- [ReactVision Studio](https://studio.reactvision.xyz/)
- [Play AR Product Page](https://reactvision.xyz/play-ar)

## App Downloads

- **Play AR (iOS):** [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/play-ar-by-reactvision/id6758459646)
- **Play AR (Android):** [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reactvision.arplayground)
- **StudioGo (iOS):** [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/studiogo-by-reactvision/id6755306651)
- **StudioGo (Android):** [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reactvision.studiogoalpha)

## Community and Socials

- [Discord Community](https://discord.gg/A6TaFNqwVc)
- [YouTube](https://youtube.com/@reactvisionxr)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/reactvision)
- [X/Twitter](https://x.com/reactvisionxr)
- [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/reactvision/)