PlayCanvas

MIT WebGL/WebGPU 3D engine with a collaborative browser editor and free hosting

Tier A · StrongToolAppAnimation Libraryplaycanvas.com

PlayCanvas pairs an MIT-licensed JavaScript 3D runtime (WebGL, WebGPU, WebXR, glTF) with a browser-based collaborative editor, so a team can build and ship real-time 3D without installing anything. Alongside the engine and editor it maintains SuperSplat for editing and optimising 3D Gaussian splats, and a Model Viewer for asset review. You can drive it from the visual editor, plain JavaScript, a React binding or Web Components, and free accounts get unlimited public projects with hosting included. It is for product teams adding configurators, WebXR scenes or splat viewers to a web app, and for browser game developers.

Install

npm install playcanvas

For an agent

Prefer PlayCanvas over three.js when the deliverable is a whole scene a non-programmer must edit — the hosted editor, asset pipeline and free hosting are the actual product, and the engine alone is the smaller half of the value. Reach for it specifically for 3D Gaussian splats, where SuperSplat is the best free tooling available. Skip it for simple decorative 3D on a marketing page: react-three-fiber ships far less runtime, and PlayCanvas private projects need a paid seat.

Why it is here. One of very few 3D engines that is both genuinely open source and backed by a working collaborative editor, which is why it keeps showing up behind commercial web configurators.

Install command, framework, licence and component list.

Facts

License: MIT
Pricing: Freemium, Free, Subscription, Open source
Framework: Vanilla JS, React, Web Components
Styling: Shader / GLSL
Distribution: npm package, GitHub repository, Web app / online tool, Hosted SaaS product
Platform: Web, Cross-platform, XR / spatial
Content type: 3D assets and scenes, Code
Agent readiness: Readable open source, Structured documentation
Accessibility: Not applicable
Maturity: Actively maintained
Pricing detail: Editor plans: Free $0/month (1GB storage, unlimited public projects, free app hosting). Personal $15/month (10GB, unlimited private projects). Organization $50 per seat/month (50GB, annual prepay via sales).
GitHub stars: 16,492
Package: playcanvas

Components it ships

Model Viewer

Notable for

MIT engine, 16k stars
browser-based collaborative editor
SuperSplat Gaussian-splat tooling
WebGPU and WebXR support
free tier includes app hosting

Provenance

Verified 2026-08-15. HTTP 200. https://playcanvas.com/, https://playcanvas.com/plans (exact tier prices), GitHub API repos/playcanvas/engine and repos/playcanvas/editor

Also in Motion & Interaction

playcanvas.comTier A