Editing and managed public hosting
Compare SuperSplat and splats.ai for editing, managed hosting direction, viewer and embed architecture, formats, and current public-catalog status.
An editor-led community or a managed public home?
SuperSplat is a strong current choice for creating and publishing Gaussian splats: it is free, open source and connected to PlayCanvas. splats.ai is a managed public-gallery and hosting layer with a small public gallery, a detail/embed path and category/creator routes in the current sitemap. The question is whether those managed presentation surfaces are worth evaluating now while the public sample set is still small. [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6] [A2] [A4] [A5] [A6]
Evaluate the current splats.ai routes, then verify additional independently accepted works before relying on its gallery as a broad distribution catalog.
Competitor and splats.ai pages were rechecked on 2026-09-17 UTC. Competitor observations are unauthenticated public-web checks.
A small public catalog is live
As of 2026-09-17 UTC, Explore returns 200 and the public gallery is small and growing — open Explore to see what is live now. The current sitemap includes public detail, category, creator, comparison, home, Explore, and upload routes. Unlisted candidate works are not included in the public count. [A2] [A4]
The current public detail page and its separate embed route both returned HTTP 200 on 2026-09-17 UTC. This verifies the public detail/embed path; it does not establish a qualified sample set, ownership approval, or WebGL visual quality. [A5] [A6]
SuperSplat and splats.ai
| Question | SuperSplat | splats.ai | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core workflow | A free, open-source PlayCanvas editor and publishing flow. The 2026-09-09 Editor 3.0 update describes a WebGPU-only editor, larger-scene memory improvements and export paths including PLY, compressed PLY, SOG, SPZ and .ssproj; the 2026-08-17 Publishing API update describes resumable uploads and unlisted-by-default scenes. | A managed upload and public-route architecture with a small public gallery in Explore, plus a separate detail and embed route. Broader sample quality and inventory remain to be established. | [S1][S4][S5][S6][A2][A3][A5][A6] |
| Account and access | Public signup, editor and profile routes are available. This review did not create an account, publish a file, or test the authenticated upload completion. | Explore and the sign-in-gated upload route are live. A public work currently has a detail and embed route; the sitemap also contains category and creator-page URLs. This audit did not create an account or make a candidate public. | [S2][S3][S1][A2][A3][A4][A5][A6] |
| Public discovery | The home response contained 32 unique /scene/<id> links on 2026-09-17 UTC after extraction and deduplication. This is one response’s observation, not a lifetime catalog total; the page also exposes search/infinite-scroll behavior. | Explore exposes category navigation and a public detail card. The sitemap contains public detail, category, and creator-page URLs. | [S1][A2][A4][A5] |
| Creator identity | SuperSplat’s public pages expose scene and user/profile routes; this review does not compare the two products’ profile semantics or claim equivalent creator analytics. | splats.ai uses the /u/<handle> creator-page route; the current sitemap includes creator-page URLs, and Explore shows what is live in the public gallery. | [S1][A2][A4] |
| Viewing and embedding | Public scene viewing and sharing are visible, and current PlayCanvas documentation exposes viewer-embedding documentation. This review did not execute a SuperSplat embed or compare it with splats.ai’s public embed. | The browser demo is public, and the current public detail plus separate embed route both return 200. This report does not claim that a raw HTTP check proves WebGL quality. For the managed presentation step, see how to embed a Gaussian splat on a website. | [S1][S7][A1][A5][A6] |
| Input and delivery | SuperSplat Editor 3.0 publicly describes PLY, compressed PLY, SOG, SPZ and .ssproj export/file handling; its Publishing API describes direct, resumable publishing with scenes unlisted by default. Treat these as public product/documentation claims, not an authenticated integration test. | splats.ai accepts SOG, PLY, SPLAT, SPZ, KSPLAT and supported MP4/MOV/WebM video. SOG is delivered directly; the other splat formats are optimized to SOG and supported videos are reconstructed into a viewable splat. Uploaded video is limited to 5–300 seconds; the default size limit is 100MB, accounts configured for larger files can reach 2 GiB, and browser recording is 5–120 seconds. These are intake limits, not paid-plan entitlements or a reconstruction-success guarantee. For a format-focused explanation of that intake-to-delivery path, see SOG, PLY, SPLAT, SPZ, and KSPLAT for web delivery. | [S5][S6][S7][A1][A3][A7] |
| Ownership and control | The open-source editor can be inspected, self-hosted, and extended by teams that want to own the toolchain. | The managed service currently demonstrates a public work page, its separate embed route and creator/category discovery paths. It does not yet demonstrate a broad independent sample set; private hosting, white-label, analytics, LOD and API tier claims remain planned or unverified. | [S4][A2][A4][A5][A6][A7] |
Choose based on the missing layer
SuperSplat is the better fit when...
- You want a free, open-source editor and are comfortable owning the publishing workflow around it.
- You need PlayCanvas ecosystem alignment, editor tooling, or control over a local and self-hosted production workflow.
- You already have a site, CMS, or portfolio that provides discovery and creator identity.
splats.ai may add value when...
- You can evaluate the current small public gallery and its search and sharing URLs.
- You can verify multiple works resolving to an attributable creator page as more accepted works arrive.
- You can test a managed browser viewer and one-line embed against a real public capture.
Editing and public distribution can be separate decisions
SuperSplat gives creators an open editor and more software control. splats.ai currently demonstrates a public work and its presentation routes; evaluate additional independently accepted works before relying on it as a distribution catalog. [S4] [A2] [A4] [A5] [A6]
If you need editing, local control, or self-hosting now, SuperSplat is the proven fit. For splats.ai, test the current detail, discovery and embed paths, then add more accepted works before relying on it for distribution.
The practical questions
SuperSplat is free, open source, and self-hostable. Why put my work on splats.ai?
Use splats.ai when you want to evaluate a managed detail page, creator/category discovery and a separate embed around a finished work. Today the public gallery is small and growing, so this is an evaluation surface rather than proof of a broad catalog. [S4] [A2] [A4] [A5] [A6]
Is SuperSplat free?
Public SuperSplat and PlayCanvas materials describe the editor as free and open source. [S4] [S5]
Is splats.ai a replacement for SuperSplat?
No. Use the editor and publishing workflow that fits production, then evaluate splats.ai for the managed detail, discovery and embed layer. The current public gallery is small, so verify more accepted works before making a distribution decision. [S4] [A2] [A4] [A5] [A6]
Does SuperSplat have only 32 public scenes?
No such claim is being made. The current home response contained 32 unique /scene/<id> links on 2026-09-17 UTC after extraction and deduplication. Infinite scrolling or authenticated views may expose more; the count is not a total catalog claim. [S1]
Can I embed a SuperSplat scene?
SuperSplat clearly supports public scene viewing and sharing, and current PlayCanvas documentation exposes viewer-embedding documentation. This review did not execute a SuperSplat embed or compare it with splats.ai’s public embed. [S1] [S7] [A5] [A6]
Which file formats does splats.ai accept today?
The production upload and ingest surfaces accept PLY, SPLAT, SPZ, KSPLAT, and SOG plus supported MP4/MOV/WebM video. SOG is delivered directly; other splat inputs are optimized to SOG and supported videos are reconstructed into a viewable splat. Current upload limits include 5–300-second video, a 100MB default size limit, configurable larger-file accounts up to 2 GiB, and 5–120-second browser recording. [A1] [A3] [A7]
Does splats.ai pay creators today?
No. Creator revenue is a possible future direction, not a current capability, and should not affect a decision between these products today.
Sources and review dates
Competitor and splats.ai pages were rechecked on 2026-09-17 UTC. The 32 SuperSplat scene links are a deduplicated initial HTML observation, not a total; no SuperSplat account or competitor file was used in this review.
- [S1] SuperSplat home HTML contained 32 deduplicated scene links and public profile links, not a total catalog count; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S2] SuperSplat signup route and PlayCanvas account handoff; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S3] Public SuperSplat Editor route returned HTTP 200; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S4] Official SuperSplat source repository and MIT license; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S5] PlayCanvas Editor 3.0 update on WebGPU, memory, and file handling; published 2026-09-09 and checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S6] PlayCanvas Publishing API update on resumable uploads, unlisted defaults, and metadata; published 2026-08-17 and checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [S7] SuperSplat documentation includes viewer, embedding, profile, upload, and API guides; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A1] splats.ai home, supported inputs, browser demo, and planned-pricing boundaries; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A2] splats.ai Explore returned HTTP 200 with a small public gallery; open Explore for current works; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A3] splats.ai upload route and its listed file/video inputs, recording limits, and default unlisted visibility; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A4] splats.ai sitemap includes public detail, category, creator, comparison, and core routes; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A5] A public splats.ai detail page returned HTTP 200 with metadata and JSON-LD; this was not a WebGL quality check; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A6] The corresponding public embed route returned HTTP 200; this was not a mobile or WebGL quality check; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
- [A7] splats.ai product reference documents video limits, configurable larger-file accounts, and unavailable planned tiers; checked 2026-09-17 UTC.
Check the current state
The public gallery is small and growing — open Explore to see what is live now. Use the dated evidence above, inspect the detail and embed routes, and verify metadata and viewer quality before treating the current gallery as a representative hosting portfolio.