head to head · open source
raylib vs libgdx
raylib has 34,793 GitHub stars, 3,301 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. libgdx has 25,405 stars, 6,526 forks, 337 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. raylib leads on adoption by 37% (34,793 vs 25,405 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; libgdx is written in Java under Apache-2.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, libgdx 26%. raylib was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (android, 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
| raylib | libgdx | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 35K | ★ 25K |
| License | Zlib | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.3K | ⑂ 6.5K |
| 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 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 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 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 raylib or libgdx more popular?
raylib has 34,793 GitHub stars and libgdx has 25,405. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and libgdx free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and libgdx under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and libgdx?
raylib is written in C 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, raylib or libgdx?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (34,793 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose libgdx if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.