head to head · open source
GDevelop vs NettyGameServer
GDevelop has 27,008 GitHub stars, 1,561 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. NettyGameServer has 1,673 stars, 672 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 1,514% (27,008 vs 1,673 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; NettyGameServer is written in Java under GPL-3.0. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, NettyGameServer 40%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game, 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 | NettyGameServer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-30 | 2026-04-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 672 |
| 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 NettyGameServer if
- You want the NettyGameServer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and NettyGameServer 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 NettyGameServer
NettyGameServer is a Java, GPL 3.0 licensed distributed mobile game server built on Netty 4.X that gives backend teams TCP, UDP, HTTP and WebSocket entry points, protobuf based protocol handling and sharded, Redis cached MySQL persistence in one starting point.
read the full NettyGameServer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or NettyGameServer more popular?
GDevelop has 27,008 GitHub stars and NettyGameServer has 1,673. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and NettyGameServer free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and NettyGameServer is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and NettyGameServer?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and NettyGameServer in Java. 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 NettyGameServer?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (27,008 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose NettyGameServer if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.