head to head · open source
three.js vs aframe
three.js has 117,586 GitHub stars, 36,869 forks, 386 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. aframe has 17,687 stars, 4,408 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. three.js leads on adoption by 565% (117,586 vs 17,687 stars). three.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; aframe is written in JavaScript under MIT. three.js has attracted 31% as many forks as stars, aframe 25%. three.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (3d, augmented-reality), 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
| three.js | aframe | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 118K | ★ 18K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-07-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 37K | ⑂ 4.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick three.js if
- You weight community size — 118K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick aframe if
- You want the aframe feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and aframe 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 aframe
A Frame A web framework for building browser based 3D, AR and VR experiences. Site — Docs — Examples — School — Community Examples Find more examples on the homepage, A Week of A Frame, and WebVR Directory. Features :eyeglasses: Virtual Reality Made Simple : A Frame handles the 3D and WebXR boilerplate required to get running across platforms including mobile, desktop, and all headsets (compatible with a WebXR capable browser) just by dropping in . :heart: Declarative HTML : HTML is easy to read and copy and paste. Since A Frame can be used from HTML, A Frame is accessible to everyone…
read the full aframe overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is three.js or aframe more popular?
three.js has 117,586 GitHub stars and aframe has 17,687. three.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are three.js and aframe free?
Both are open source. three.js is licensed under MIT and aframe under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between three.js and aframe?
three.js is written in JavaScript and aframe in JavaScript. 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 aframe?
Choose three.js if you want the larger community (117,586 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose aframe if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.