head to head · open source
raylib vs permafrost-engine
raylib has 35,362 GitHub stars, 3,350 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. permafrost-engine has 2,768 stars, 121 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. raylib leads on adoption by 1,178% (35,362 vs 2,768 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; permafrost-engine is written in C under GPL-3.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, permafrost-engine 4%. raylib was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (c, game-engine, opengl), 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 | permafrost-engine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 35K | ★ 2.8K |
| License | Zlib | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 121 |
| 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 permafrost-engine if
- You want the permafrost-engine 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 permafrost-engine 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 permafrost-engine
Support the Development Wishlist EVERGLORY on Steam Permafrost Engine is an OpenGL 3.3 Real Time Strategy game engine written in C. It is made in the image of old classics, but incorporating some modern ideas. Engine Showcase EVERGLORY is the flagship game developed using Permafrost Engine. Download the free demo on Steam. With the demo you also get access to all the scripts powering the gameplay to learn from and modify as you wish. Engine Summary OpenGL 3.3 programmable pipeline (more modern extensions used where available) Custom text model format for interoperability with tools; baked binary format for fast…
read the full permafrost-engine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or permafrost-engine more popular?
raylib has 35,362 GitHub stars and permafrost-engine has 2,768. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and permafrost-engine free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and permafrost-engine under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and permafrost-engine?
raylib is written in C and permafrost-engine 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 permafrost-engine?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (35,362 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose permafrost-engine if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.