head to head · open source
three.js vs raylib
three.js has 115,636 GitHub stars, 36,557 forks, 386 open issues and last shipped yesterday. raylib has 34,783 stars, 3,299 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. three.js leads on adoption by 232% (115,636 vs 34,783 stars). three.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; raylib is written in C under Zlib. three.js has attracted 32% 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 | ★ 116K | ★ 35K |
| License | MIT | Zlib |
| Written in | JavaScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 37K | ⑂ 3.3K |
| 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 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 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 raylib
raylib is an open source, Zlib licensed C programming library for building videogames and graphical applications, aimed at programmers who would rather write code directly than work inside a visual game engine editor.
read the full raylib overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is three.js or raylib more popular?
three.js has 115,636 GitHub stars and raylib has 34,783. 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 (115,636 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose raylib if its feature set, stack or Zlib licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.