head to head · open source
three.js vs raylib
three.js has 117,439 GitHub stars, 36,894 forks, 386 open issues and last shipped yesterday. raylib has 35,538 stars, 3,370 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. three.js leads on adoption by 230% (117,439 vs 35,538 stars). three.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; raylib is written in C under Zlib. three.js has attracted 31% as many forks as stars, raylib 9%. three.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| three.js | raylib | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 117K | ★ 36K |
| License | MIT | Zlib |
| Written in | JavaScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 37K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick three.js if
- You weight community size — 117K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick raylib if
- You want the raylib feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Zlib license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and raylib fits your workflow better
About three.js
three.js [![NPM Package][npm]][npm url] [![Build Size][build size]][build size url] [![NPM Downloads][npm downloads]][npmtrends url] [![jsDelivr Downloads][jsdelivr downloads]][jsdelivr url] [![Discord][discord]][discord url] JavaScript 3D library The aim of the project is to create an easy to use, lightweight, cross browser, general purpose 3D library. The current builds only include WebGL and WebGPU renderers but SVG and CSS3D renderers are also available as addons. Examples — Docs — Manual — Wiki — Migrating — Questions — Forum — Discord Usage This code creates a…
read the full three.js overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is three.js or raylib more popular?
three.js has 117,439 GitHub stars and raylib has 35,538. three.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are three.js and raylib free?
Both are open source. three.js is licensed under MIT and raylib under Zlib. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between three.js and raylib?
three.js is written in JavaScript and raylib 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, three.js or raylib?
Choose three.js if you want the larger community (117,439 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose raylib if its feature set, stack or Zlib licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.