head to head · open source
Babylon.js vs aframe
Babylon.js has 26,091 GitHub stars, 3,689 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped yesterday. aframe has 17,635 stars, 4,396 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Babylon.js leads on adoption by 48% (26,091 vs 17,635 stars). Babylon.js is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; aframe is written in JavaScript under MIT. Babylon.js has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, aframe 25%. Babylon.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (3d, game-development, game-engine), 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.
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Side by side
| Babylon.js | aframe | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 18K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-21 | 2026-07-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 4.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Babylon.js if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick aframe if
- You want the aframe feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and aframe fits your workflow better
About Babylon.js
Babylon.js is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed 3D game and rendering engine written in TypeScript, built for JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want to create browser based 3D games, visualizations and WebXR experiences inside a friendly JavaScript framework.
read the full Babylon.js overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Babylon.js or aframe more popular?
Babylon.js has 26,091 GitHub stars and aframe has 17,635. Babylon.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are Babylon.js and aframe free?
Both are open source. Babylon.js is licensed under Apache-2.0 and aframe under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Babylon.js and aframe?
Babylon.js is written in TypeScript and aframe in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Babylon.js or aframe?
Choose Babylon.js if you want the larger community (26,091 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose aframe if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.