head to head · open source
GDevelop vs s&box
GDevelop has 26,611 GitHub stars, 1,552 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. s&box has 6,468 stars, 672 forks, 2,406 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GDevelop leads on adoption by 311% (26,611 vs 6,468 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; s&box is written in C# under a custom or non-standard licence. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, s&box 10%. s&box was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (gamedev), 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 | s&box | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 6.5K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | JavaScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| 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 s&box if
- You want the s&box feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and s&box 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 s&box
s&box is a modern game engine built on Valve's Source 2 and the latest .NET technology, offering a modern intuitive editor for creating games, and it is aimed at game creators who want to build and play games inside an engine that runs live, alongside the contributors who compile the engine itself from source.
read the full s&box overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or s&box more popular?
GDevelop has 26,611 GitHub stars and s&box has 6,468. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and s&box free?
Neither GDevelop nor s&box declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and s&box?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and s&box 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 s&box?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (26,611 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose s&box if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.