Sketchfab vs Luxa: Which 3D Viewer Is Better for E-commerce?

Sketchfab is the gold standard for sharing and discovering 3D models. Luxa is purpose-built for selling products with 3D and AR. They overlap in one area, embedding a 3D viewer on a webpage, but diverge almost everywhere else. Here's a direct comparison.

The fundamental difference

Sketchfab is a community platform first. It hosts millions of models, has a marketplace, and is where designers share their work. Its viewer is excellent but its DNA is social and creative. Luxa is a business tool: it's designed so that a store owner with no 3D experience can upload a product model and have an AR-ready viewer on their product page within minutes.

AR support

This is where the gap is clearest. Luxa supports WebXR AR on Android and AR Quick Look on iOS out of the box. Customers tap "View in AR" and place the product in their room, no app required. Sketchfab's AR is more limited and requires a mobile app for the full experience.

Customization and branding

Sketchfab embeds always show the Sketchfab logo and link back to their platform. On paid plans you can hide their branding, but your viewer still lives under their domain. Luxa viewers can be white-labeled: no Luxa branding, custom domain support, and your viewer stays on your infrastructure.

Material editing

Sketchfab has a solid material editor for creators preparing assets. Luxa's editor is optimized for product configuration: swap materials between variants, let customers pick color options, and publish a configurator without writing code.

Gaussian Splat support

Sketchfab does not currently support Gaussian Splats. Luxa's Walk-in Gaussian Editor handles .ply and .splat files and lets you embed a walkable scene anywhere.

Pricing

Sketchfab's free tier allows uploads but limits downloads and features. Their business plans start at $79/month. Luxa's pricing starts lower and is structured around active viewers, making it more cost-effective for stores with a smaller catalog.

Which should you use?

• Use Sketchfab if you're a designer sharing work with the 3D community or selling models on their marketplace.
• Use Luxa if you're an online store, brand, or agency that needs AR product viewers, Gaussian scenes, and white-labeled embeds.
• Use both if you want Sketchfab for community exposure and Luxa for your actual e-commerce integration.