head to head · open source
GDevelop vs WickedEngine
GDevelop has 27,065 GitHub stars, 1,566 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. WickedEngine has 7,259 stars, 779 forks, 118 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GDevelop leads on adoption by 273% (27,065 vs 7,259 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; WickedEngine is written in C++ under MIT. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, WickedEngine 11%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | WickedEngine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 779 |
| 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 WickedEngine if
- You want the WickedEngine feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and WickedEngine 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 WickedEngine
Wicked Engine is an open source 3D engine with modern graphics, written in C++, for developers who want a C++ graphics framework, a standalone 3D editor, Lua scripting, or a codebase to learn from.
read the full WickedEngine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or WickedEngine more popular?
GDevelop has 27,065 GitHub stars and WickedEngine has 7,259. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and WickedEngine free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and WickedEngine is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and WickedEngine?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and WickedEngine 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 WickedEngine?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (27,065 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose WickedEngine if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.