Creating AR sounds like something complicated that requires technical knowledge, a lot of time, and money. And yes, maybe it is true, but you can do it yourself if you know where to go. With a Do It Yourself (DIY) platform, you can create the same AR experiences that an AR developer can do, with no need to code.

Sounds too good to be true, right? But DIY platforms have come to democratize the possibilities of AR creation. It is as easy as dragging and dropping the content to create an AR experience with different interactions that allow the user to click on and go to another AR layer scene. However, DIY platforms are not the only option you have; you can also hire an AR agency or an AR developer. We will explain the pros and cons of all the options.

Like with any other creative project, some agencies can help you develop the idea and implement it. This option could be for large companies that usually work with agencies and are used to outsource projects.

PROS: Experts will do everything for you. You have to sit and wait. You’ll get support and consultancy services in case you feel lost in the AR world.

CONS: High-priced. An AR experience can cost from USD 5,000 to USD 100,000, depending on how sophisticated it is. Sometimes much more expensive if brands want to keep working with their usual creative agencies. These agencies will be outsourcing the AR development, ending up having many intermediaries and no in-house control.

There are many ways to find freelance AR developers. They usually charge per hour or project. Developers need something called SDK (software development kit), which enables AR development. It isn’t very easy to decide which one to use because you have to consider how each SDK approaches the functionalities you need for the experience, depending on the operating systems (iOS, Android).

PROS: Like with the agencies, an expert will do everything for you.

CONS: They might spend many hours, so it’s also pricey. Developers’ cost per hour ranges from USD 25 to USD 150, needing 30 to 60 hours. However, if they also need to develop an App and create the 3D models and animations from scratch, it can take up to 900 hours. If you know nothing about AR, you might have a hard time understanding what to ask for.

With AR drag & drop platforms, you will finally implement the idea that you have in mind. The AR project you wish you could do, but you haven’t done because you don’t know how to code or don’t have a team of developers at your workplace. Thanks to free augmented reality software, coding knowledge is not necessary anymore.

You’ll have some templates and a wide variety of ready-to-use free 3D models so you can create interactive experiences. You will also have the option of importing your own content to the platform and creating an interactive experience with multiple interactive possibilities. For example, the end-user could play with the AR content by clicking something and changing the AR layers.

PROS: Accessible prices for the same quality of AR experiences. It’s intuitive, so you don’t need to spend hours figuring out how to use it. You can make changes anytime, no need to call the agency and wait for them. There’s no need to develop an app since it’ll be WebAR, a way to have AR experiences through the web browser, like Chrome. With these platforms, you can also get some help if you need it.

CONS: You will need to take action, either yourself or the team you lead. However, it’s so easy that you’ll actually enjoy it.

If someone had told you a few years ago that you would create a website by yourself, you would have thought it’s not possible, but now we have platforms like Wix or Webflow. Or what about Canva, which allows users to create any design without any knowledge of complex design platforms. We’re living in an era of no-code, drag & drop, easy-to-use platforms that everyone can use.

In the end, deciding whether to hire an agency, a freelance developer, or to use a DIY platform depends on what your needs and resources are. Still, people need to break paradigms and stop thinking that AR is super complex to create.

Augmented Reality is the future of communication; it is a medium to create stories together with the users and produce the highest level of user-brand engagement when it is truly interactive. Indeed, AR experiences can generate almost double the levels of engagement than non-AR ones. So we need to keep creating great experiences and reach the next level in communication between people, not only brands-to-people but also in general. Anyone can create AR for any reason, and the world needs to know it.

At Hololink.io we help you create interactive AR experiences with no need to code and develop apps.

You don’t need to be a developer to create Augmented Reality experiences. was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.