head to head · open source
three.js vs Babylon.js
three.js has 115,643 GitHub stars, 36,557 forks, 386 open issues and last shipped today. Babylon.js has 26,085 stars, 3,686 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped yesterday. three.js leads on adoption by 343% (115,643 vs 26,085 stars). three.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; Babylon.js is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. three.js has attracted 32% as many forks as stars, Babylon.js 14%. three.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 6 topic tags (3d, webaudio, webgl, webgl2), 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 | Babylon.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 116K | ★ 26K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 37K | ⑂ 3.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick three.js if
- You weight community size — 116K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Babylon.js if
- You want the Babylon.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Babylon.js fits your workflow better
About three.js
three.js is an MIT licensed JavaScript 3D library that provides an easy to use, lightweight, cross browser, general purpose layer for rendering interactive 3D graphics in the browser, aimed at JavaScript developers who need 3D scenes on the web without writing raw GPU code.
read the full three.js overview →
About Babylon.js
Babylon.js is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed 3D game and rendering engine written in TypeScript, built for JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want to create browser based 3D games, visualizations and WebXR experiences inside a friendly JavaScript framework.
read the full Babylon.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is three.js or Babylon.js more popular?
three.js has 115,643 GitHub stars and Babylon.js has 26,085. three.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are three.js and Babylon.js free?
Both are open source. three.js is licensed under MIT and Babylon.js under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between three.js and Babylon.js?
three.js is written in JavaScript and Babylon.js in TypeScript. 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 Babylon.js?
Choose three.js if you want the larger community (115,643 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Babylon.js if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.