Open-source Niantic
Lightship alternative.

ReactVision is an open-source alternative to Niantic Lightship for persistent and geospatial AR. ViroReact is the MIT renderer. Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors run on ReactVision Platform and are called from the same renderer API. No Lightship SDK. No MAU tax on the core renderer.

Create a free Studio accountExplore ViroReact

Choose Lightship, or choose ReactVision

Both stacks do persistent, location-based AR. The honest split is about who owns the mapping data, who hosts the backend, and what the renderer costs at scale.

Choose Niantic Lightship when

  • →You depend on Lightship VPS coverage in a city Niantic has mapped deeply
  • →You are already invested in Unity and the Lightship SDK
  • →Niantic's shared AR sessions match your multiplayer design as-is

Choose ReactVision when

  • +You want an open, MIT-licensed renderer with no SDK lock-in
  • +You want no MAU-based fees on the core renderer
  • +You want the same app to ship to Meta Quest as well as phones
  • +You want managed anchors you can also take on-premises for enterprise
  • +You want coding agents to call the same anchor APIs your app uses

Lightship vs ReactVision, line by line

The capabilities that matter for persistent and geospatial AR, side by side. Scroll the table sideways on smaller screens.

CapabilityNiantic LightshipReactVision
SDK languageC# (Unity SDK)TypeScript / React Native
Renderer licenceProprietary (Unity plus Lightship SDK)ViroReact, MIT, open source
VPS / geospatialLightship VPSGeospatial Anchors on ReactVision Platform
Shared / persistent anchorsLightship Shared ARCloud Anchors on ReactVision Platform
MAU / runtime feesFees above 50K monthly active usersNone on the renderer; usage-based Platform tiers
Headset / VR supportMobile onlyMeta Quest via OpenXR, same codebase
Who hosts the backendNianticReactVision managed cloud, or on-premises for enterprise
On-device-only optionNo, VPS features require Niantic servicesYes, local AR and local anchors run with no Platform account
Where Lightship may still win: Niantic's VPS coverage and mapping depth may still be stronger in some cities, built from years of Pokémon Go scanning. If your product lives or dies on centimetre-level VPS in a specific mapped location, test both. ReactVision's pitch is an open renderer, infrastructure you own or have managed, phones plus Quest, no Lightship lock-in, and agent-addressable APIs.

What is free, what is paid

You can ship local AR for free with ViroReact: plane detection, image targets, physics, 3D models, the full renderer, MIT licensed with no user caps. You pay when you use hosted anchors, geospatial resolution, asset hosting, Environment Testing, or higher AI and API limits, on Studio plans that start free. See the live pricing on the Studio page.

Free, forever

The ViroReact renderer and everything on-device: AR plane detection, image markers, local anchors, physics, animation, particles, VR on Quest. No account needed, no MAU counting.

Paid, when you scale onto Platform

Hosted Cloud Anchors, Geospatial Anchors, asset hosting, Environment Testing, and higher AI and Platform API limits. All of it starts on the free tier with an rvApiKey and rvProjectId from Studio.

What each part of ReactVision does

ViroReact

The open-source native XR renderer. One TypeScript API mapped onto ARKit, ARCore, and OpenXR. MIT licensed, free forever.

Studio

The browser-based visual editor and CMS for XR scenes. Free to sign up.

Platform

Managed Cloud Anchors, Geospatial Anchors, asset hosting, and Environment Testing, accessed with an rvApiKey and rvProjectId.

MCP server

How coding agents use the stack: live ViroReact knowledge plus tools to validate, run, and test scenes.

ViroReact is MIT licensed and free forever. Studio and Platform are managed products: Cloud Anchors, Geospatial Anchors, asset hosting, Environment Testing, and the MCP server. iOS (ARKit), Android (ARCore), and Meta Quest (OpenXR) are supported today. visionOS is in internal preview. Android XR is coming.

Proof it ships

~10,000

npm installs of ViroReact per month

140,000+

npm installs in 2025

3 platforms

iOS, Android, and Meta Quest supported today

Shipped on ViroReact: Looking Glass (geospatial AR heritage storytelling), Pikd (brand AR for Red Bull and Burger King), InkStory (AR image recognition, built solo). The ViroReact MCP server is listed in the Claude Connectors Directory.

How to switch from Lightship

Four steps from a Lightship-dependent project to persistent and geospatial AR on an open stack. For a worked example, read the geospatial AR tutorial, the Cloud Anchors vs Geospatial Anchors guide, and the Platform introduction.

01

Create a free Studio account

Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors run on ReactVision Platform, and a free Studio account gives you the rvApiKey and rvProjectId that unlock them. No card required.

02

Install ViroReact

npm install @reactvision/react-viro in a React Native or Expo app. You need a development build rather than Expo Go, and AR needs a physical device.

03

Add your Platform credentials

Put the rvApiKey and rvProjectId in your app config. From ViroReact 2.53.0, Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors connect to the Platform by default, no separate SDK.

04

Anchor content to the world

Host and resolve Cloud Anchors for shared, persistent AR in a space, or pin content to latitude, longitude, and altitude with Geospatial Anchors, from the same renderer API.

Common questions

Is there an alternative to Niantic Lightship?
Yes. ReactVision is an open-source alternative for persistent and geospatial AR. ViroReact is the MIT-licensed renderer, and Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors run on ReactVision Platform, called from the same renderer API. There is no Lightship SDK and no MAU fee on the core renderer.
Can I build geospatial AR without the Lightship SDK?
Yes. ReactVision Platform Geospatial Anchors pin AR content to real-world latitude, longitude, and altitude, called directly from ViroReact in TypeScript. You authenticate with an rvApiKey and rvProjectId from a free Studio account instead of integrating a separate Unity SDK.
Does ReactVision charge monthly-active-user fees?
No. The ViroReact renderer is MIT licensed and free at any user count. Paid usage is metered on Platform services instead: hosted anchors, geospatial resolution, asset hosting, Environment Testing, and AI credits, on tiered Studio plans that start free.
What does ReactVision cost compared to Lightship?
Niantic Lightship charges fees above 50K monthly active users. With ReactVision you can ship local AR for free on the open-source renderer alone. You pay only when you use hosted Cloud Anchors, Geospatial Anchors, asset hosting, Environment Testing, or higher AI and API limits, and plans start with a free tier.
When is Niantic Lightship the better choice?
When your product depends on VPS coverage and mapping depth in cities Niantic has mapped extensively, or when your team is already committed to Unity and the Lightship toolchain. Niantic's mapping data is a genuine asset. ReactVision's pitch is different: an open renderer, infrastructure you can own or have managed, phones plus Quest, and agent-addressable APIs.
Do Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors work on Meta Quest?
The same ViroReact codebase that uses Platform anchors on phones also ships to Meta Quest via OpenXR, so one app spans mobile AR and headset experiences. Anchoring features are strongest on phones today; the point is that Quest is not a separate project, unlike mobile-only Lightship.

Related comparisons and guides

Get your Platform credentials

Create a free Studio account to get the rvApiKey and rvProjectId that unlock Cloud Anchors and Geospatial Anchors in ViroReact. The renderer itself is free and open source, with or without an account.

Create a free Studio accountHow geospatial AR works here
$npm install @reactvision/react-viro