head to head · open source
GDevelop vs boardgame.io
GDevelop has 28,729 GitHub stars, 1,652 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. boardgame.io has 12,486 stars, 833 forks, 67 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 130% (28,729 vs 12,486 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; boardgame.io is written in TypeScript under MIT. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, boardgame.io 7%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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
| GDevelop | boardgame.io | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 12K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-11 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 833 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GDevelop if
- You weight community size — 29K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick boardgame.io if
- You want the boardgame.io feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and boardgame.io fits your workflow better
About GDevelop
GDevelop is a full featured, no code, open source game development software. You can build 2D, 3D and multiplayer games for mobile (iOS, Android), desktop and the web. GDevelop is designed to be fast and incredibly intuitive: make games using an easy to understand yet powerful event based system and modular behaviors. Create with AI that assists or builds alongside you. Getting started Are you interested in contributing to GDevelop for the first time? Take a look at the list of good first issues , good first contributions or the "🏐 not too hard" cards on the Roadmap. Games made with GDevelop Find GDevelop games…
read the full GDevelop overview →
About boardgame.io
Read the Documentation boardgame.io is an engine for creating turn based games using JavaScript. Write simple functions that describe how the game state changes when a particular move is made. This is automatically converted into a playable game complete with online multiplayer features, all without requiring you to write a single line of networking or storage code. Features State Management : Game state is managed seamlessly across clients, server and storage automatically. Multiplayer : Game state is kept in sync in realtime and across platforms. AI : Automatically generated bots that can play your game. Game…
read the full boardgame.io overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or boardgame.io more popular?
GDevelop has 28,729 GitHub stars and boardgame.io has 12,486. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and boardgame.io free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and boardgame.io is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and boardgame.io?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and boardgame.io 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, GDevelop or boardgame.io?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (28,729 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose boardgame.io if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.