head to head · open source
colyseus vs pokerth
colyseus has 7,515 GitHub stars, 683 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pokerth has 695 stars, 264 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. colyseus leads on adoption by 981% (7,515 vs 695 stars). colyseus is written in TypeScript under MIT; pokerth is written in C++ under AGPL-3.0. colyseus has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, pokerth 38%. colyseus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game-server, multiplayer), 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
| colyseus | pokerth | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 695 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 683 | ⑂ 264 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick colyseus if
- You weight community size — 7.5K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick pokerth if
- You want the pokerth feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and pokerth fits your workflow better
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 →
About pokerth
PokerTH The open source Texas Hold'em engine — play against the computer or against other people over the internet. Website & Forum · Download · Issues · ChangeLog About PokerTH is a poker game written in C++ with Qt. You can play the popular Texas Hold'em poker variant against up to nine computer opponents or against real people on the internet — on the official server at pokerth.net, or on any dedicated server you run yourself. The project has been around since 2006, is licensed under the AGPLv3 , and carries no ads, no real money gambling and no tracking. Features Texas Hold'em, 2–10 players — single player…
read the full pokerth overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is colyseus or pokerth more popular?
colyseus has 7,515 GitHub stars and pokerth has 695. colyseus has the larger community by that measure.
Are colyseus and pokerth free?
Both are open source. colyseus is licensed under MIT and pokerth under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between colyseus and pokerth?
colyseus is written in TypeScript and pokerth 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, colyseus or pokerth?
Choose colyseus if you want the larger community (7,515 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose pokerth if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.