head to head · open source
aframe vs MonoGame
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars, 4,396 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. MonoGame has 14,434 stars, 3,107 forks, 766 open issues and last shipped yesterday. aframe leads on adoption by 22% (17,635 vs 14,434 stars). aframe is written in JavaScript under MIT; MonoGame is written in C# under a custom or non-standard licence. aframe has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, MonoGame 22%. MonoGame was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (3d, game-development, game-engine, gamedev), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| aframe | MonoGame | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 14K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | JavaScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-07-13 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick aframe if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick MonoGame if
- You want the MonoGame feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and MonoGame fits your workflow better
About aframe
A Frame is an MIT licensed JavaScript web framework built on top of three.js that lets anyone who can write HTML build browser based 3D, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences running on desktop, mobile and any WebXR capable headset.
read the full aframe overview →
About MonoGame
MonoGame is a free, open source C and .NET game framework for building cross platform games. It lives in the .NET game development ecosystem and is positioned as one framework for creating games on desktop PCs, mobile devices, and consoles. It is an open source re implementation of Microsoft's discontinued XNA Framework, used to create games such as Streets of Rage 4, Carrion, Celeste, and Stardew Valley.
read the full MonoGame overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Gaming projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Gaming field.
Frequently asked questions
Is aframe or MonoGame more popular?
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars and MonoGame has 14,434. aframe has the larger community by that measure.
Are aframe and MonoGame free?
Both are open source. aframe is licensed under MIT, and MonoGame has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between aframe and MonoGame?
aframe is written in JavaScript and MonoGame in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, aframe or MonoGame?
Choose aframe if you want the larger community (17,635 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose MonoGame if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.