head to head · open source
raylib vs OpenRA
raylib has 35,569 GitHub stars, 3,377 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenRA has 17,736 stars, 3,112 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. raylib leads on adoption by 101% (35,569 vs 17,736 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; OpenRA is written in C# under GPL-3.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenRA 18%. raylib was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | OpenRA | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 18K |
| License | Zlib | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| 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 OpenRA if
- You want the OpenRA feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and OpenRA 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 OpenRA
OpenRA A Libre/Free Real Time Strategy game engine supporting early Westwood classics. Website: Chat: openra on Libera (web) or Discord Repository: Please read the FAQ in our Wiki and report problems at Join the Forum for discussion. Play Distributed mods include a reimagining of Command & Conquer: Red Alert Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn Dune 2000 EA has not endorsed and does not support this product. Check our Playing the Game Guide to win multiplayer matches. Contribute Please read INSTALL.md and Compiling on how to set up an OpenRA development environment. See Hacking for a (now very outdated) overview of…
read the full OpenRA overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or OpenRA more popular?
raylib has 35,569 GitHub stars and OpenRA has 17,736. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and OpenRA free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and OpenRA under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and OpenRA?
raylib is written in C and OpenRA 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 OpenRA?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (35,569 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose OpenRA if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.