head to head · open source
raylib vs Babylon.js
raylib has 34,785 GitHub stars, 3,299 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Babylon.js has 26,085 stars, 3,686 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped yesterday. raylib leads on adoption by 33% (34,785 vs 26,085 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; Babylon.js is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Babylon.js 14%. raylib was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game-development, 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
| raylib | Babylon.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 35K | ★ 26K |
| License | Zlib | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.3K | ⑂ 3.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick raylib if
- You weight community size — 35K stars and counting
- You want the Zlib license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Babylon.js if
- You want the Babylon.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Babylon.js fits your workflow better
About raylib
raylib is an open source, Zlib licensed C programming library for building videogames and graphical applications, aimed at programmers who would rather write code directly than work inside a visual game engine editor.
read the full raylib overview →
About Babylon.js
Babylon.js is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed 3D game and rendering engine written in TypeScript, built for JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want to create browser based 3D games, visualizations and WebXR experiences inside a friendly JavaScript framework.
read the full Babylon.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or Babylon.js more popular?
raylib has 34,785 GitHub stars and Babylon.js has 26,085. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and Babylon.js free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and Babylon.js under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and Babylon.js?
raylib is written in C and Babylon.js in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, raylib or Babylon.js?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (34,785 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose Babylon.js if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.