head to head · open source
three.js vs libgdx
three.js has 115,666 GitHub stars, 36,556 forks, 386 open issues and last shipped yesterday. libgdx has 25,405 stars, 6,526 forks, 337 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. three.js leads on adoption by 355% (115,666 vs 25,405 stars). three.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; libgdx is written in Java under Apache-2.0. three.js has attracted 32% as many forks as stars, libgdx 26%. three.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (3d, html5), 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
| three.js | libgdx | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 116K | ★ 25K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 37K | ⑂ 6.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick three.js if
- You weight community size — 116K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick libgdx if
- You want the libgdx feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and libgdx fits your workflow better
About three.js
three.js is an MIT licensed JavaScript 3D library that provides an easy to use, lightweight, cross browser, general purpose layer for rendering interactive 3D graphics in the browser, aimed at JavaScript developers who need 3D scenes on the web without writing raw GPU code.
read the full three.js overview →
About libgdx
libGDX is a cross platform Java game development framework built on OpenGL (ES) that renders 2D and 3D games for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, web browsers, and iOS, aimed at Java developers who want one codebase and no imposed design or coding style.
read the full libgdx overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is three.js or libgdx more popular?
three.js has 115,666 GitHub stars and libgdx has 25,405. three.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are three.js and libgdx free?
Both are open source. three.js is licensed under MIT and libgdx under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between three.js and libgdx?
three.js is written in JavaScript and libgdx in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, three.js or libgdx?
Choose three.js if you want the larger community (115,666 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose libgdx if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.