Immersive technology like augmented reality (AR) requires motion and object tracking, plane detection, geospatial awareness, and depth sensing—all of which require complex code and reliable programming. An AR software development kit (AR SDK) is a toolbox of existing resources and libraries that helps a developer team build AR without writing all of the code from scratch.
AR SDKs are what make rich, practical AR customer experiences possible. According to a 2025 report on AR in ecommerce, nearly 90% of US consumers say AR helps them make better purchase decisions, 71% of shoppers would shop more frequently if AR tools were available. According to a Shopify case study, when couture brand Rebecca Minkoff added 3D modeling and AR on its product pages, shoppers were 44% more likely to add an item to their cart and 65% more likely to place an order after interacting with a product in AR.
Here’s what AR SDKs are, how they work, common ecommerce use cases, and some of the most versatile and widely used solutions.
What is an AR SDK?
An augmented reality SDK is a curated set of tools and coding resources that helps developers build custom AR apps or experiences. By providing libraries, code packages, and debuggers that support many of the specialized functions AR requires, an AR SDK helps developers avoid duplicating their efforts across universal AR tasks and features.
Each AR SDK has its strengths or specializations, but in general, they include:
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Scripts for image and object recognition
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Plane detection for surfaces in the physical environment
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APIs to connect over networks and with hardware
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Documentation and debuggers
Ecommerce use cases for AR SDKs
AR SDKs have two major use cases for ecommerce brands: displaying virtual products in the customer’s living space and enabling virtual try-on via body and motion tracking.
AR visualization tools let customers preview products like planters, furniture, paint colors, tiles, or fabrics in their own home or yard by holding a phone up to the scene. AR SDKs can also detect ambient light and shadow to make the virtual object look more realistic in the setting.
For example, Cambridge Satchel Company used Shopify’s AR experience to let online shoppers virtually place a 3D image of a satchel into a screenshot of their environment. “The fact that we can offer this kind of AR experience with our budget puts us on a level playing field with people who have much greater resources than we do,” says founder and CEO Julie Deane.
Arhaus vice president of ecommerce Steve Bauer views AR as a gigantic opportunity because of the brand’s highly customizable product lines. Instead of relying solely on an internal 3D room planner, they use AR technology that lets customers hold their phones up to a corner of the room to visualize exactly how a piece of furniture will look against their existing wall color and flooring.
You can also deploy AR try-on. This means users can layer 3D images of clothing over their existing wardrobe with a virtual stylist app, or try on accessories like glasses or jewelry in real time.
Top AR SDK solutions
- For Apple devices: ARKit
- For Android devices: ARCore
- For compatibility across operating systems: Vizbl
- For open-source flexibility: ARToolkit
- For open-source flexibility: ARToolkit
Focus your AR SDK search by consulting your developers and knowing your intended use cases, target devices, and preferred programming environment at the outset. Here are a few top options to consider if you’re looking to build a custom AR app or augmented reality experience:
For Apple devices: ARKit
ARKit is Apple’s SDK and the most comprehensive option for building augmented reality services on Apple devices.
Drawing on Apple’s built-in LiDAR and gyroscope, ARKit has tools for precise scene mapping, advanced depth sensing, light and face detection, and sophisticated plane detection. It’s frequently updated with an extensive library of tools for iPhones and iPads and a large developer base.
Pricing: Free with an Apple developer account.
For Android devices: ARCore
ARCore is Google’s SDK for building experiences for Android devices. ARCore enables light and shadow estimation, precise scene detection, and scanning and rendering 3D models. While ARCore SDK is designed for mobile, Google released Android XR in 2024, which is geared toward experiences developed for AR and virtual reality (VR) headsets.
Pricing: Free.
For compatibility across operating systems: Vizbl
Vizbl’s SDK is geared toward ecommerce brands, with tools to add AR viewers and virtual try-on to existing mobile apps on iOS and Android devices. A spin-off of its broader room placement app, the Vizbl SDK lets brands embed AR viewing inside their own mobile app. A furniture retailer, for instance, could let customers virtually place a sofa in their living room directly within its branded app or website, instead of sending them to a separate AR tool.
Vizbl integrates with major ecommerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
Pricing: Paid plans run from $49 to $249 per month after a 14-day free trial.
For open-source flexibility: ARToolkit
This long-running open source AR SDK is compatible with multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and desktop operating systems. For teams that want to code a fully customized experience, ARToolkit is a lightweight option that integrates well with Unity and OpenSceneGraph. Given the transparency of open-source code and lack of licensing restrictions, it’s a great option for building academic projects and prototypes.
Pricing: Free.
For training and educational experiences: Vuforia
Geared toward industrial AR use cases like manufacturing training and educational experiences, Vuforia has scripts and integrations across multiple programming languages and platforms, including Android Studio, Xcode, and Visual Studio.
It provides image detection (2D), object and plane detection (3D), and environmental understanding, and cloud-based databases and area targets keep application size low. Vuforia’s API can detect and interact with applications built on other SDKs, including ARCore and ARKit.
Pricing: Plans range from a basic free option up to custom enterprise pricing.
How to choose the right AR SDK
- Define use cases and priorities with your developers
- Review existing tools in your software stack
- Future-proof your plans
If you’re building customized AR experiences or shopping options, a range of SDKs can help you optimize the programming and testing phase of development. Here’s how to choose the right AR SDK for your brand’s needs:
1. Define use cases and priorities with your developers
Your developer team will be the group to use and rely on the AR SDK. Work with them early and closely to understand their needs and recommendations. Beyond knowing the programming needs and features that will help bring your augmented reality project to life, developers can bring valuable insights from their previous work to inform which SDK will make the work easier and faster.
To choose the right AR SDK, define your team’s unique use cases. For example, are you building for a primarily Android user base, or looking for compatibility across Android, iOS, and desktop environments?
Here are examples of criteria to weigh with your developer team:
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Will you need face and motion tracking, or only detection of static objects?
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How important is geolocation?
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What level of camera access and data does the project need? (Third-party SDK camera connections can be limited by privacy policies)
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Where will your 3D model files be stored (in-house or a third-party database)?
2. Review existing tools in your software stack
If you’re building your first AR experience, explore what your existing tech stack provides in terms of 3D modeling and viewing. Depending on your needs, you might already have the capabilities required without designing your own AR tool.
Shopify’s out-of-the-box no-code 3D capabilities are a good place to start. With Shopify, you can create 3D models using iOS’ built-in LiDAR sensor, and edit them with a no-code 3D editor. And for iOS devices, Shopify integrates with ARKit’s Quick Look, letting users preview virtual products in their space (iPhone 12 or later).
3. Future-proof your plans
As the immersive tech industry evolves, some SDKs are sunsetted or rolled into other products, with certain features no longer updated. For instance, Wikitude, a popular AR SDK specializing in geolocation since 2008, was bought by another company, and support ended for its SDK in 2024. Another industry leader, 8th Wall, began sunsetting in 2025.
Since developing AR experiences is such a time-intensive process, learn from the SDK vendors you’re considering how frequently their AR SDKs are updated and what deprecations are planned or on the horizon. Ask about portability, licensing restrictions, and what support options are available if the SDK you rely on is sunsetted in the future.
AR SDK FAQ
What does SDK mean?
An SDK, or software development toolkit, is a set of tools that streamlines and automates building an app or software program. These include code libraries, documentation, debuggers, and APIs that eliminate the need to start from scratch.
What is an augmented reality (AR) SDK?
An augmented reality SDK is a software development toolkit specifically designed for AR. It might include code libraries, APIs to connect to a device’s camera and other hardware, sample project templates, documentation, and debuggers.
What is AR used for?
Augmented reality blends the physical and digital world by layering virtual objects over images or areas in a viewer’s environment. The technology has applications in retail, gaming, health care, and navigation.
Which SDK is widely used for AR development?
Widely used SDKs used in AR development include ARKit, ARToolkit, ARCore, and Vuforia. For developing apps for Apple devices and software, ARKit is widely used, while ARCore is geared toward Android products. Use cases, target devices, and programming languages are all important factors in selecting an SDK for an AR development project.
