head to head · open source
Godot vs GDevelop
Godot has 117,369 GitHub stars, 26,777 forks, 18,870 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GDevelop has 26,611 stars, 1,552 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Godot leads on adoption by 341% (117,369 vs 26,611 stars). Godot is written in C++ under MIT; GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Godot has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, GDevelop 6%. Godot was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game-development, game-engine, 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
| Godot | GDevelop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 117K | ★ 27K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Godot if
- You weight community size — 117K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick GDevelop if
- You want the GDevelop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and GDevelop fits your workflow better
About Godot
Godot Engine is a free, MIT licensed, cross platform 2D and 3D game engine that ships an editor, a class reference, export templates, and one click deployment to desktop, mobile, web and console targets, aimed at game developers who want to own their toolchain and their games without royalties.
read the full Godot overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Godot or GDevelop more popular?
Godot has 117,369 GitHub stars and GDevelop has 26,611. Godot has the larger community by that measure.
Are Godot and GDevelop free?
Both are open source. Godot is licensed under MIT, and GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Godot and GDevelop?
Godot is written in C++ and GDevelop in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Godot or GDevelop?
Choose Godot if you want the larger community (117,369 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose GDevelop if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.