head to head · open source
aframe vs colyseus
aframe has 17,687 GitHub stars, 4,408 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. colyseus has 7,516 stars, 683 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. aframe leads on adoption by 135% (17,687 vs 7,516 stars). aframe is written in JavaScript under MIT; colyseus is written in TypeScript under MIT. aframe has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, colyseus 9%. colyseus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| aframe | colyseus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 7.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-07-13 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 683 |
| 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 colyseus if
- You want the colyseus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and colyseus fits your workflow better
About aframe
A Frame A web framework for building browser based 3D, AR and VR experiences. Site — Docs — Examples — School — Community Examples Find more examples on the homepage, A Week of A Frame, and WebVR Directory. Features :eyeglasses: Virtual Reality Made Simple : A Frame handles the 3D and WebXR boilerplate required to get running across platforms including mobile, desktop, and all headsets (compatible with a WebXR capable browser) just by dropping in . :heart: Declarative HTML : HTML is easy to read and copy and paste. Since A Frame can be used from HTML, A Frame is accessible to everyone…
read the full aframe overview →
About colyseus
Multiplayer Framework for Node.js. View documentation Colyseus is an Authoritative Multiplayer Framework for Node.js, with SDKs available for all major platforms and engines. Client SDKs The project focuses on providing synchronizable data structures for realtime and turn based games, matchmaking, and ease of usage both on the server side and client side. The mission of the framework is to be a standard netcode & matchmaking solution for any kind of project you can think of! Why developers choose Colyseus: ⚡️ Real time state sync that just works → Define your state on the server and it automatically synchronizes…
read the full colyseus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is aframe or colyseus more popular?
aframe has 17,687 GitHub stars and colyseus has 7,516. aframe has the larger community by that measure.
Are aframe and colyseus free?
Both are open source. aframe is licensed under MIT and colyseus under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between aframe and colyseus?
aframe is written in JavaScript and colyseus in TypeScript. 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 colyseus?
Choose aframe if you want the larger community (17,687 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose colyseus if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.