head to head · open source
GDevelop vs fheroes2
GDevelop has 27,481 GitHub stars, 1,584 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. fheroes2 has 3,503 stars, 503 forks, 431 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 684% (27,481 vs 3,503 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; fheroes2 is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, fheroes2 14%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game, 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
| GDevelop | fheroes2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 3.5K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 503 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GDevelop if
- You weight community size — 27K 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 fheroes2 if
- You want the fheroes2 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and fheroes2 fits your workflow better
About GDevelop
GDevelop is an open source, cross platform game engine and editor for creating 2D, 3D, and multiplayer games without writing code. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and targets mobile (iOS, Android), desktop, and web platforms. Built with JavaScript, React, Electron, PixiJS, and Three.js, it combines a visual event based system with AI assisted development to lower the barrier to entry for game creation.
read the full GDevelop overview →
About fheroes2
fheroes2 is an open source, multiplatform recreation of the Heroes of Might and Magic II game engine, written from scratch in C++ under the GNU General Public License v2.0, and it is built for players who want to run the classic turn based strategy game on modern systems and for the developers, artists and translators who keep improving it.
read the full fheroes2 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or fheroes2 more popular?
GDevelop has 27,481 GitHub stars and fheroes2 has 3,503. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and fheroes2 free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and fheroes2 is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and fheroes2?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and fheroes2 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, GDevelop or fheroes2?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (27,481 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose fheroes2 if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.