Alpha Clipping vs Alpha Blending

Alpha Clipping/Testing

Pro: Writes to depth buffer, meaning things behind it does not need to be rendered
Con: Writes to depth buffer, potentially using some performance

Alpha Blending

Pro: Does not write to depth buffer
Con: Does not write to depth buffer, needing to draw everything behind it

Conclusion

Alpha blending should be avoided when there's a lot of overdraw. Alpha clipping can be used in most cases and generally has better performance, as it eliminates overdraw.

Note: I'm unsure why "noisy or thin" textures decrease performance when using alpha clipping.

Sources

Unity Forums post by bgolus and burningmime: Is Alpha Clipping better for performance?

Unused sources

Unity Forums post by bgolus: Alpha To Coverage Performance

#transparency #alpha-clip #alpha-blend #overdraw #performance #not-specifically-unturned