head to head · open source
aframe vs colyseus
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars, 4,396 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. colyseus has 7,312 stars, 665 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. aframe leads on adoption by 141% (17,635 vs 7,312 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 | ★ 7.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-07-13 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 665 |
| 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 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 colyseus
Colyseus is an MIT licensed authoritative multiplayer framework for Node.js that provides synchronizable data structures, room based matchmaking, and client SDKs for TypeScript, React, Unity, Godot, GameMaker, Defold, Construct, Haxe, and C, aimed at developers building realtime and turn based multiplayer games.
read the full colyseus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is aframe or colyseus more popular?
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars and colyseus has 7,312. 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 (17,635 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose colyseus if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.