Since Meta retired Spark AR in early 2025, brands that want augmented reality have three real choices: TikTok Branded Effects, Snapchat Lenses and WebAR. They overlap, but each has a sweet spot. Here is a straight comparison to help you pick the right one for your campaign.
TikTok Branded Effects
TikTok is built on trends and sound, and a Branded Effect that fits a trend can spread fast. Effects are ideal when your goal is reach and cultural relevance, especially with a younger, highly active audience. They pair well with a Branded Mission or Spark Ads when you want to amplify. If your brand wants to ride momentum and be part of what is trending, TikTok is the place. See our TikTok Branded Effects guide for more.
Snapchat Lenses
Snapchat users open the app to create, not just to scroll, so they are primed to try and share a good Lens. Snapchat is strong for try on, for younger audiences, and for playful, personal experiences. Lenses also have excellent face and world tracking. If your product suits try on or your audience skews young and creative, Snapchat is a natural fit. Read our Snapchat Lenses guide for the detail.
WebAR
WebAR runs in the phone browser through a QR code or link, with no app and no account. That makes it the most flexible option. Use it when you need to reach people outside a single social platform, for example through packaging, a poster, an email or an event. It is the right choice for product launches, in store experiences and anything printed. Learn more on our WebAR page.
Quick Comparison
Choose TikTok for trend led reach and broad awareness. Choose Snapchat for try on and a young, creative audience. Choose WebAR when you need to reach people off platform, through packaging, print, email or events. Many of the strongest campaigns use two of these together, for example a Snapchat try on Lens supported by a WebAR experience on the product page.
Audience: Who Uses Each Platform?
Audience should drive a lot of your decision. TikTok reaches an enormous, broad audience that skews young but now spans far wider, and it rewards content that fits a trend. Snapchat has a famously young and creative user base who open the app specifically to make and share, which makes them very willing to try a good Lens. WebAR has no audience of its own, which is the point, since it reaches whoever you send it to, of any age, through a link or a code. If your customers are older or offline, WebAR on packaging or print may reach them when the social platforms cannot.
Cost Compared
Build costs are broadly similar across TikTok and Snapchat for a like for like effect, since the underlying work of concept, 3D and development is comparable. WebAR often sits a little higher because it is a fuller custom experience rather than a platform effect. The bigger difference is media. On TikTok and Snapchat you can put paid spend behind an effect to drive reach, which is a separate and often larger cost. WebAR has no platform media, but you carry the cost of promoting the link or code yourself. Our AR cost guide has the full bands.
Discovery: How People Find Your Effect
Each platform gets your effect in front of people differently. On TikTok, effects spread when creators use them in videos, so a trend friendly mechanic can travel fast and far. On Snapchat, people find Lenses through the carousel, through your profile and through sharing, and a strong Lens earns repeat use. With WebAR, discovery is entirely on you, through a QR code on packaging, a poster, a screen, an email or a link, which gives you total control over where and when it appears.
Measuring Success
The metrics differ by platform. On TikTok and Snapchat you can look at opens, plays, shares, average play time and the reach earned by creators and users. With WebAR you can track scans, sessions, time spent and any actions taken inside the experience, such as a tap through to buy. Decide the one number that matters most for your goal before you launch, whether that is reach, engagement or conversions, and build the experience to move it.
A Simple Way to Decide
If you want trend led reach and a broad audience, start with TikTok. If your product suits try on or your audience is young and creative, start with Snapchat. If you need to reach people off platform, through packaging, print, email or an event, start with WebAR. If budget allows, the strongest campaigns combine a social effect for reach with a WebAR experience at the point of sale.
The Scale: What the Platforms Actually Reach
It helps to see the numbers behind each platform. Snap reports that more than 300 million people use its AR Lenses every single day, that it processes around 7.7 billion Lens plays a day, and that over 3.5 million Lenses have been built in Lens Studio by more than 350,000 creators. Crucially for brands, Snap reports that AR interaction lifts purchase intent by around 2.4 times, and that the average branded Lens holds attention for roughly 15 seconds, far longer than a skippable ad. TikTok does not break out AR the same way, but its strength is the sheer velocity of trends, where a Branded Effect tied to a sound or challenge can spread through millions of videos. WebAR has no built in audience, which is the point, since it reaches whoever scans your code or taps your link, on any phone.
The Tools and Ad Products Behind Each
Each platform has its own build tool and its own way to pay for reach. Snapchat Lenses are built in Lens Studio and can be promoted through Snap Ads and AR ad formats. TikTok effects are built in Effect House, and reach can be amplified through a Branded Mission, which invites creators to make videos with your effect, or through Spark Ads. WebAR is built on platforms such as Niantic Studio, formerly 8th Wall, and delivered through a QR code or link that you place on packaging, posters, screens, email or your site. Knowing these building blocks helps you brief a project and understand exactly what you are paying for.
Cost Compared, With Real Bands
For a like for like effect, build costs are broadly similar on Snapchat and TikTok, since the underlying concept, 3D and development work is comparable. A simple branded effect on either usually starts around 800 to 2,000 euro, a standard 3D or try on effect runs from roughly 2,000 to 5,000 euro, and an interactive game effect starts near 5,000 euro and climbs from there. WebAR often sits a little higher because it is a fuller custom experience, typically from around 4,000 euro. The bigger budget question is media. On TikTok and Snapchat you can put paid spend behind an effect, which is a separate cost that often starts around 5,000 euro depending on reach. WebAR carries no platform media, but you fund the promotion of the code or link yourself.
Not sure which AR platform fits?
Tell us your goal and audience, and we will recommend the right mix of TikTok, Snapchat and WebAR, then build it. TEJ is a Dublin based AR studio working with brands worldwide.
Choosing an AR Platform: Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still make Instagram AR filters in 2026?
No. Meta retired Spark AR in early 2025, so custom filters for Instagram and Facebook are no longer available. The live options are TikTok, Snapchat and WebAR.
Which AR platform has the biggest reach?
TikTok tends to offer the broadest reach through trends, while Snapchat is strong for engaged younger audiences and WebAR reaches anyone with a phone browser, no app required.
Can I run a campaign on more than one platform?
Yes, and many brands do. A common combination is a social effect for reach plus a WebAR experience for product pages, packaging or events.
Which AR platform is cheapest?
Build costs are similar across platforms for a comparable effect. The real cost difference is paid media, which applies on TikTok and Snapchat but not on WebAR, where you promote the link yourself.
How do I know which platform my audience uses?
Start with where your customers already spend time. Younger, trend driven audiences lean TikTok and Snapchat, while WebAR is the way to reach everyone else through packaging, print, email and events.
Can one effect run on both TikTok and Snapchat?
The concept can be shared, but each platform needs its own build because the tools and formats differ. A good agency reuses the creative and 3D work across both to keep the cost down.
How many people use AR on Snapchat?
Snap reports that more than 300 million people interact with its AR Lenses every day, with around 7.7 billion Lens plays daily, which is why it is such a strong platform for branded AR.
What tools are branded AR effects built in?
Snapchat Lenses are built in Lens Studio, TikTok effects in Effect House, and WebAR experiences on platforms such as Niantic Studio, formerly 8th Wall. Each also has its own way to pay for extra reach.