Gaming · alternatives
Alternatives to Steam
24 gaming tools sit alongside Steam in this directory. Below is what separates each from Steam on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 24
- With a free tier
- 16
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Steam starts at
- On request
Why people look past Steam
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Steam entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Steam carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 16 of the 24 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Your place to talk and hang out
- Can be used without paying; Steam cannot.
- Publishes an entry price of $4.99/month, where Steam does not.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
Upgrade your Discord experience
- Publishes an entry price of $2.99/month, where Steam does not.
Online play, classic games and more
- Publishes an entry price of $19.99/year, where Steam does not.
Monthly games, online multiplayer and more
- Publishes an entry price of $10.99/month, where Steam does not.
AI match predictions and analytics for Dota 2 and CS2
- Can be used without paying; Steam cannot.
A user-generated games platform running on Robux, not a single game, with a developer payout system and a marketplace cut
- Can be used without paying; Steam cannot.
- Sold on a Free to play, Robux currency packs and a subscription model rather than subscription.
Every Steam alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam (this page) | On request | Subscription | - | |
| DiscordYour place to talk and hang out | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Steam |
| Discord NitroUpgrade your Discord experience | $2.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Steam |
| Nintendo Switch OnlineOnline play, classic games and more | $19.99/year | Subscription | 4 | vs Steam |
| PlayStation PlusMonthly games, online multiplayer and more | $10.99/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Steam |
| Winio | Free | Subscription | 4 | vs Steam |
| Roblox | Free | Free to play, Robux currency packs and a subscription | 3 | vs Steam |
| Fortnite | Free | Free to play with in-app purchases | 1 | vs Steam |
| Lutris | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Steam |
| Heroic Games Launcher | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Steam |
| RetroArch | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Steam |
| Battle.net | Free | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Steam |
| Fanatical | Free | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Steam |
| GOG Galaxy | Free | Free, no licence fee | 1 | vs Steam |
| Playnite | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Steam |
| Ubisoft Connect | Free | Per user per month | 3 | vs Steam |
| Nvidia GeForce Now | Free, then $9.99/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Steam |
| Green Man Gaming | Free | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Steam |
| itch.io | Free | Free to publish; creator-set revenue share on sales | 1 | vs Steam |
| Epic Games Store | Free | Free to use; individual games purchased separately | 1 | vs Steam |
| Minecraft | $29.99/one-time | One-time purchase, optional Realms subscription | 4 | vs Steam |
| Humble Bundle | $11.99/month | Pay what you want per bundle, or a monthly subscription | 2 | vs Steam |
| Amazon Luna | $9.99/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Steam |
| Shadow PC | $29.99/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Steam |
| EA Play | $5.99/month | Per user per month | 2 | vs Steam |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Steam badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (16)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Discord , Free, then $4.99/month
- Winio , Free
- Roblox , Free
- Fortnite , Free
- Lutris , Free
- Heroic Games Launcher , Free
- RetroArch , Free
- Battle.net , Free
What you would be giving up
Steam is most often brought in for pc game distribution and purchase, digital game library management, multiplayer gaming platform. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Steam is broadly right and the question is cost, the Steam pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Gaming category lists everything the directory holds, and best gaming tools ranks them.
Steam runs on not recorded. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Steam alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Steam?
- 24 other gaming tools are listed in this directory, led by Discord, Discord Nitro, Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Steam?
- 16 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Discord, Winio, Roblox, Fortnite, Lutris.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Steam?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Steam?
- Steam is most often brought in for pc game distribution and purchase, digital game library management, multiplayer gaming platform. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Steam?
- None of the gaming tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Steam alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Gaming, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Steam against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Steam covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every gaming tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Gaming category, 24 tools beside Steam. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.