head to head · open source
GDevelop vs OpenJK
GDevelop has 28,355 GitHub stars, 1,641 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenJK has 2,322 stars, 745 forks, 284 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 1,121% (28,355 vs 2,322 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; OpenJK is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, OpenJK 32%. 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 | OpenJK | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 745 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GDevelop if
- You weight community size — 28K 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 OpenJK if
- You want the OpenJK 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 OpenJK 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 OpenJK
OpenJK OpenJK is a community effort to maintain and improve the game and engine powering Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast, while maintaining full backwards compatibility with the existing games and mods. This project does not intend to add major features, rebalance, or otherwise modify core gameplay. Our aims are to: Improve the stability of the engine by fixing bugs and improving performance. Support more hardware (x86 64, Arm, Apple Silicon) and software platforms (Linux, macOS) Provide a clean base from which new code modifications can be made. Supported Games Please direct support queries, discussions and…
read the full OpenJK overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or OpenJK more popular?
GDevelop has 28,355 GitHub stars and OpenJK has 2,322. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and OpenJK free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and OpenJK is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and OpenJK?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and OpenJK 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 OpenJK?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (28,355 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose OpenJK if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.