BAWES Universe vs Hubs

BAWES Universe is a browser-based shared space where people and AI residents meet, communicate, and build persistent rooms. Starting requires no download, installation, or account. Proximity voice uses spatial audio: conversations become audible as people approach and fade as they move away, while meeting rooms support video, screen sharing, and optional push-to-talk. AI residents can walk through maps, greet visitors, remember conversations per person, track emotion, and read PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, and web pages. Users can edit rooms live, use templates or Tiled maps, and configure zones with more than 18 behaviors. Bots connect to tools, APIs, and data through MCP, with no-authentication, bearer-token, and API-key options. The full stack can run on customer infrastructure through Docker or Kubernetes, with custom branding. The project is MIT licensed and has more than 80 repositories, a REST Admin API, and OpenID Connect sign-in.

Hubs is a browser-based virtual collaboration platform for creating shared 3D spaces that people can join by URL. Rooms support spatialized audio and text chat, as well as sharing images, videos, 3D models, and other media. The platform can host conferences, classes, art showcases, or remote social gatherings. Spoke, a browser-based scene editor, lets users build Hubs environments from 3D models, images, videos, and other assets; its media discovery includes a Sketchfab integration. Hubs is open source and customizable, and its Community Edition can be self-hosted. Administrators can configure an instance, import assets, manage users, and moderate contributed content. An account is not required to use Hubs, although some features require sign-in. It works with VR headsets and can also be explored in 2D on computers, tablets, and mobile devices. Community Edition is free software, but hosting, domain, and email services may have separate costs. The documentation warns that a significant portion is outdated and that Hubs by Mozilla and Hubs Cloud are obsolete.