Mozilla Hubs was a favorite for virtual exhibitions: it ran in the browser, anyone could join from a link, and teachers, students, and artists used it for shows and openings. Then Mozilla closed it. If you're looking for a Mozilla Hubs alternative for an art exhibition, here's where things stand as of October 6, 2026:
- Mozilla's Hubs service ended on May 31, 2024. Mozilla announced the shutdown in February 2024 as part of company-wide cuts.
- The code lives on, but you host it yourself. The nonprofit Hubs Foundation maintains Hubs Community Edition, which you install on your own server.
- Self-hosting costs about $38 a month at minimum on DigitalOcean, according to the Foundation's guide — plus a domain and an email service, and some command-line work to set up.
That's a big change for someone who just wanted to show their art. This guide compares the options and shows what each one costs over time.
Here's a gallery you could publish without a server:
Option 1: Self-host Hubs Community Edition
If you loved Hubs and want it back exactly as it was — avatars, voice, shared rooms — Community Edition is the most faithful option. But be clear about what it involves:
- A server you pay for monthly. The Foundation's beginner's guide estimates "~$38 USD per month minimum," supporting roughly 30–60 people at once.
- Technical setup. The guide asks for "Confidence to use a command line interface" and estimates 45 minutes to 2 hours — longer if you take it slowly.
- Building scenes in 3D tools. Rooms are designed in Blender or Spoke and imported as 3D files.
- Maintenance is on you. Updates, uptime, and security become your job.
For a school with an IT team or a studio that runs live events, that can be worth it. For an artist who wants a show online this week, it usually isn't.
Option 2: A hosted multiplayer platform
Hosted platforms remove the server work but keep the live, shared-space idea. Most charge monthly, and most are built for meetings and events rather than art:
- FrameVR — a free trial tier for up to 8 people at once; paid spaces from $10 to $200 a month each.
- Metasteps (Artsteps' successor) — €14 to €99 a month, plus credits; mobile browsers are "not recommended."
- Spatial — no longer an option for individuals: it ended creator hosting on July 27, 2026.
Option 3: A browser gallery made for exhibitions
If what you used Hubs for was showing artwork, you may not need a live multiplayer server at all. A gallery that each visitor walks through on their own can be set up in minutes, opens on any phone, and costs very little to keep online — which is why it doesn't need a subscription.
That's what Xibit360 is: you upload your works, choose a theme and layout, and publish. The room is lit and finished for you, and it stays open until you close it.
Cost over time
Let's compare keeping a 20-work exhibition online.
- Hubs Community Edition: about $38 a month for the smallest recommended server, before domain and email costs.
- Xibit360: the free room (5 works) plus one extra exhibition room (15 works) — $25, paid once.
Total paid (USD) over the first 24 months of keeping a 20-work exhibition online. Horizontal axis: months. Hubs figures use the Hubs Foundation's ~$38/month minimum server estimate, excluding domain and email.
| Months online | Xibit360 | Hubs self-hosted (~$38 / month) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25 | $38 |
| 3 | $25 | $114 |
| 6 | $25 | $228 |
| 12 | $25 | $456 |
| 24 | $25 | $912 |
| 36 | $25 | $1,368 |
Xibit360 costs less from the first month. Over three years, self-hosting the smallest Hubs server costs about $1,340 more — not counting the hours of setup and upkeep.
Side by side
| Hubs Community Edition | Xibit360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Your own server, command line, 3D scenes in Blender/Spoke | Upload works, choose a theme, publish |
| Monthly cost | ~$38+ for the server | None |
| A 20-work show | ~$38 / month | $25 once |
| Live multiplayer, voice, avatars | Yes | No |
| VR headsets | Yes | No |
| Phone visitors | Most modern devices | Opens in the phone's browser from one link |
| Image presentation | Depends on your scene | Up to 1,600 px, gallery lighting, frames and mats per work |
| Audio guide | Add your own audio files to the scene | Captions read aloud (plays automatically on the guided tour) |
| Maintenance | Yours | Ours |
Hubs is still the right answer if your exhibition is a live event — an opening where people talk to each other in VR. If the goal is that people can walk through your work whenever they find the link, a dedicated gallery does that with far less cost and effort.
What you get on Xibit360
- A free room you can publish today — 5 works, every frame style, no card, no time limit.
- Pay once to grow. An extra exhibition room (15 works) is $25, single artwork slots $3, and the Video Pass for video works $20. Themes are $8, layouts $5, and extra storage $10 per GB (100 MB included free).
- No server, no setup, no updates to install.
- A narrated tour — captions read aloud in a natural voice — and background music for the room.
- Share it anywhere — one link, an embed for your website, a walkthrough video for social media, and a catalogue.
- Your work is never used to train AI.
Planning a class or a group show? See our guide to the online graduation show, and compare all the options in our guide to the best virtual gallery platforms.
FAQ
Is Mozilla Hubs shut down? Yes. Mozilla ended the Hubs service on May 31, 2024. The open-source code continues under the Hubs Foundation as the self-hosted Community Edition.
Can I still use Mozilla Hubs for free? The software is free and open source, but you have to run it on your own server. The Hubs Foundation estimates about $38 a month minimum for hosting.
What is the easiest Mozilla Hubs alternative for an art exhibition? If you don't need live multiplayer, a browser gallery built for exhibitions is the simplest. On Xibit360 you can publish a free room of 5 works in minutes, and a 20-work show is $25, paid once.
Is there a Mozilla Hubs alternative that works on phones? Yes. Xibit360 rooms open in a phone's browser from a single link, with nothing to install.
Put your show online today
Walk through the demo gallery, then create your free room. No server, no command line, no monthly bill.
Facts and quotes were checked on the Hubs Foundation's website and documentation and in press coverage on October 6, 2026.