head to head · open source
raylib vs OpenJK
raylib has 35,538 GitHub stars, 3,370 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenJK has 2,322 stars, 745 forks, 284 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. raylib leads on adoption by 1,430% (35,538 vs 2,322 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; OpenJK is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenJK 32%. raylib was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 5 topic tags (c, game-development, game-engine, linux), 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 | OpenJK | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | Zlib | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 745 |
| 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 OpenJK if
- You want the OpenJK feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and OpenJK 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 OpenJK
OpenJK OpenJK is a community effort to maintain and improve the game and engine powering Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast, while maintaining full backwards compatibility with the existing games and mods. This project does not intend to add major features, rebalance, or otherwise modify core gameplay. Our aims are to: Improve the stability of the engine by fixing bugs and improving performance. Support more hardware (x86 64, Arm, Apple Silicon) and software platforms (Linux, macOS) Provide a clean base from which new code modifications can be made. Supported Games Please direct support queries, discussions and…
read the full OpenJK overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or OpenJK more popular?
raylib has 35,538 GitHub stars and OpenJK has 2,322. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and OpenJK free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and OpenJK under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and OpenJK?
raylib is written in C and OpenJK in C++. 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 OpenJK?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (35,538 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose OpenJK if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.