Guide
What WebAR is
Augmented reality that opens in a web browser with no app to install. Point the camera at a QR code and the AR appears right there.
In short
The difference from app AR is how it opens
Augmented reality draws 3D on top of what the camera sees. Do that inside an app and it is app AR; do it inside a web browser and it is WebAR.
An app has to be downloaded and installed first. WebAR runs the moment the QR code is scanned.
That fits anywhere someone looks once and moves on. Exhibition stands, shop floors and printed material, where asking a first-time visitor to install something rarely works.
Kinds
What it anchors to
The kinds differ by what the 3D is placed against. Pick the one that matches where it will be used.
Plane detection
Finds a floor or a table and stands the object on it. It appears at real size, so it answers whether the thing fits.
Marker tracking
Point the camera at a set pattern and the 3D appears there. Only the pattern has to be printed, which makes it easy to put on a flyer or a card.
Image tracking
Recognizes a real picture, such as a poster or a product photo, and overlays the 3D on it. The picture itself is the anchor.
Face tracking
Follows the position of a face and puts glasses or a hat on it. Used where someone wants to try something on first.
Location-based
Uses coordinates so the content appears only at that place. Used for outdoor events and visitor guides.
3D viewer
No camera at all, just turning the model inside the page. Usually shown first, before moving on to AR.
What runs
What happens after the QR code is scanned
Four steps. All the viewer does is scan the QR code, allow the camera and point it around.
The QR code is scanned
The browser opens and downloads the page and the 3D file.
The camera is allowed
The browser asks for camera access. Once it is allowed, the camera view appears on screen.
The space is read
Move the camera slowly and it finds a floor or a marker.
The overlay is drawn
The 3D is placed where the anchor was found. It keeps being redrawn so it stays in place as the phone moves.
In practice
Sort these out first
Miss one of these and the page opens, but the AR shows up late or not at all.
- The connection has to be secure. Browsers only hand over the camera on an HTTPS address.
- The size of the 3D file is the wait. Ship tens of megabytes as-is and the first view is slow on a poor connection.
- Browsers that open inside a messaging app do not open WebXR. If the AR is built on WebXR, add a note telling people to open it in a normal browser.
- Lighting and floor texture change the result. In a dim room or on a plain floor, a surface is found late, or not at all.
Common questions
Does it work on iPhone?
Which 3D file should we prepare?
Read next
How GLB and USDZ differ
The format the web reads and the format the iPhone AR viewer reads, side by side.
AR support by browser
Which way opens in which browser. Checked October 2026.
What RAG is
How a model is made to answer from your own material, and where it falls down.
How 3D runs in a browser
WebGL and WebGPU, the order of work, and what makes it slow.
See one open
Samples built the way this page describes open straight in the browser on Vi3w.