head to head · open source
raylib vs kaplay
raylib has 35,656 GitHub stars, 3,392 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. kaplay has 1,828 stars, 132 forks, 76 open issues and last shipped yesterday. raylib leads on adoption by 1,851% (35,656 vs 1,828 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; kaplay is written in TypeScript under MIT. raylib has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, kaplay 7%. kaplay 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 | kaplay | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | Zlib | MIT |
| Written in | C | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-13 | 2026-11-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 132 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick raylib if
- You weight community size — 36K stars and counting
- You want the Zlib license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick kaplay if
- You want the kaplay feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and kaplay fits your workflow better
About raylib
raylib is a simple and easy to use library to enjoy videogames programming. raylib is highly inspired by Borland BGI graphics lib and by XNA framework and it's especially well suited for prototyping, tooling, graphical applications, embedded systems and education. NOTE for ADVENTURERS: raylib is a programming library to enjoy videogames programming; no fancy interface, no visual helpers, no debug button... just coding in the most pure spartan programmers way. Ready to learn? Jump to code examples! features NO external dependencies , all required libraries are included in raylib Multiple platforms supported…
read the full raylib overview →
About kaplay
🎮 KAPLAY.js — A JavaScript & TypeScript Game Library KAPLAY is the fun first , 2D game library for JavaScript and TypeScript . It’s made to feel like a game while you're making games. Simple. Fast. Powerful. ✨ Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dev, KAPLAY comes with its own web based editor — the KAPLAYGROUND — so you can try code instantly, and learn with more than 90 examples ! 🎲 Quick Overview Game objects are composed from simple, powerful components: Blocky imperative syntax for describing behaviors 🖥️ Installation 🚀 Using create kaplay The fastest way to get started: Then open and edit…
read the full kaplay overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or kaplay more popular?
raylib has 35,656 GitHub stars and kaplay has 1,828. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and kaplay free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and kaplay under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and kaplay?
raylib is written in C and kaplay 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 kaplay?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (35,656 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose kaplay if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.