head to head · open source
Godot vs Pumpkin
Godot has 119,457 GitHub stars, 27,336 forks, 18,870 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Pumpkin has 12,804 stars, 983 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Godot leads on adoption by 833% (119,457 vs 12,804 stars). Godot is written in C++ under MIT; Pumpkin is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. Godot has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, Pumpkin 8%. Pumpkin 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
| Godot | Pumpkin | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 119K | ★ 13K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 983 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Godot if
- You weight community size — 119K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Pumpkin if
- You want the Pumpkin feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Pumpkin fits your workflow better
About Godot
Godot Engine 2D and 3D cross platform game engine Godot Engine is a feature packed, cross platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Games can be exported with one click to a number of platforms, including the major desktop platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows), mobile platforms (Android, iOS), as well as Web based platforms and consoles. Free, open source and community driven Godot is completely free and open source under the very permissive MIT license. No…
read the full Godot overview →
About Pumpkin
Pumpkin Pumpkin is a Minecraft server built entirely in Rust, offering a fast, efficient, and customizable experience. It prioritizes performance and player enjoyment while adhering to the core mechanics of the game. Goals Performance : Leveraging multi threading for maximum speed and efficiency. Compatibility : Supports the latest Java & Bedrock Minecraft server version while adhering to Vanilla game mechanics. Security : Prioritizes security by preventing known security exploits. Flexibility : Highly configurable, with the ability to disable unnecessary features. Extensibility : Provides a foundation for…
read the full Pumpkin overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Godot or Pumpkin more popular?
Godot has 119,457 GitHub stars and Pumpkin has 12,804. Godot has the larger community by that measure.
Are Godot and Pumpkin free?
Both are open source. Godot is licensed under MIT and Pumpkin under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Godot and Pumpkin?
Godot is written in C++ and Pumpkin in Rust. 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 Pumpkin?
Choose Godot if you want the larger community (119,457 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Pumpkin if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.