head to head · open source
GDevelop vs FXGL
GDevelop has 27,136 GitHub stars, 1,567 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. FXGL has 4,864 stars, 711 forks, 150 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 458% (27,136 vs 4,864 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; FXGL is written in Kotlin under MIT. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, FXGL 15%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 7 topic tags (2d-game-engine, 3d, 3d-game-engine, game), 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 | FXGL | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 4.9K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-10-04 | 2026-10-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 711 |
| 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 FXGL if
- You want the FXGL feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and FXGL 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 FXGL
FXGL is a free, MIT licensed Java game library built on JavaFX that lets Java and Kotlin developers write 2D games — and some 3D and business UIs — without installing anything beyond their JVM toolchain.
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or FXGL more popular?
GDevelop has 27,136 GitHub stars and FXGL has 4,864. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and FXGL free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and FXGL is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and FXGL?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and FXGL in Kotlin. 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 FXGL?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (27,136 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose FXGL if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.