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Game Development · head to head

Armory3D vs Photon Engine

Armory3D logo

Armory3D

Game Development

Open-source 3D game engine integrated with Blender

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Photon Engine logo

Photon Engine

Game Development

Hosted multiplayer networking billed by concurrent users, not by seat or by player

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Armory3D no pricing information accessible on the vendor homepage, suggesting either free or quote-based model; Photon Engine billing follows peak concurrent users, so a single stream or a launch weekend raises the bill immediately, and studios that cannot forecast concurrency cannot forecast the cost of their own launch.
  • They diverge on capability: Armory3D covers Blender integration, Photon Engine covers Concurrent user billing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Armory3D and Photon Engine actually diverge.

Attributes where Armory3D and Photon Engine differ
AttributeArmory3DPhoton Engine
Pricing modelfreePer month by peak concurrent users
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Html5, AndroidWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Game Development).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Armory3D

  • Blender integration
  • 3D graphics rendering
  • Physics engine (Bullet)
  • Audio system
  • Haxe scripting
  • Particle effects
  • Skeletal animation
  • Material system

Only in Photon Engine

  • Concurrent user billing
  • Photon Fusion
  • Photon Quantum
  • Photon Voice and Chat
  • Global relay
  • Matchmaking and rooms

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Armory3D

  • 3D game developmentnot Photon Engine
  • Blender-based gamesnot Photon Engine
  • Web gamesnot Photon Engine

Photon Engine

  • Adding multiplayer to a Unity game without hiring a network engineernot Armory3D
  • Competitive titles needing deterministic rollback rather than state synchronisationnot Armory3D
  • Games with a large but thinly spread player base, where concurrency stays low and per player pricing would cost morenot Armory3D
  • Training and simulation projects that need shared real-time state outside gamesnot Armory3D

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Armory3D

  • No pricing information accessible on the vendor homepage, suggesting either free or quote-based model
  • Limited product information on the landing page

Photon Engine

  • Billing follows peak concurrent users, so a single stream or a launch weekend raises the bill immediately, and studios that cannot forecast concurrency cannot forecast the cost of their own launch.
  • Exceeding the band does not degrade gracefully; additional players are refused connections until concurrency falls or the plan is upgraded, which is a visible outage to your players at the worst possible moment.
  • PUN, the product most tutorials and courses still teach, is legacy, so a large share of the learning material available online points new projects at the wrong SDK.
  • Self-hosting is an enterprise arrangement rather than a purchasable licence, so a studio that wants its servers on its own infrastructure for cost or compliance reasons cannot simply buy that.
  • It is a networking layer only; accounts, persistence, leaderboards, inventories and anti-cheat all come from other services, so the multiplayer stack ends up as several vendors rather than one.

Pricing, plan by plan

Armory3D

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full engine
    • Blender integration
    • 3D graphics

Photon Engine

Free
  • FreeFree
    • A small concurrent user allowance for development and early testing
    • All regions available
    • No time limit on the free tier
  • Entry band$9/month
    • Around one hundred concurrent users
    • Full SDK access
    • Regional server selection
  • Higher bands$undefined/month
    • Sold in steps up to tens of thousands of concurrent users
    • Price rises with each band rather than with total players
    • Enterprise and self-hosted arrangements handled directly by Exit Games

Which should you pick?

Choose Armory3D if

  • You need blender integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Html5, Android.
  • You also want 3d graphics rendering.
Armory3D review

Choose Photon Engine if

  • You need concurrent user billing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console.
  • You also want photon fusion.
Photon Engine review

Questions people ask

Is Armory3D or Photon Engine better?
Neither clearly leads. Armory3D starts at Free and Photon Engine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Armory3D or Photon Engine?
Armory3D starts at Free and Photon Engine at Free.
Does Armory3D or Photon Engine run on more platforms?
Armory3D runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Html5, Android. Photon Engine runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console.
Can I use Armory3D for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Armory3D best used for?
Armory3D is most often used for 3d game development, blender-based games, web games. Of those, 3d game development and blender-based games are not what Photon Engine is typically brought in for.
What can Armory3D do that Photon Engine cannot?
Armory3D covers Blender integration, 3D graphics rendering, Physics engine (Bullet), Audio system. Photon Engine covers Concurrent user billing, Photon Fusion, Photon Quantum, Photon Voice and Chat.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Armory3D: How much does Armory 3D cost?

Armory 3D pricing is not listed on their website. The platform appears to offer both ArmorPaint and Armory Engine products but does not disclose pricing on the public homepage.

Source
Photon Engine: What exactly is a concurrent user?

A player connected to Photon at that moment. Your plan is sized by the peak of that number, not by downloads, registered accounts or monthly actives.

Photon Engine: Which product should a new project use?

Fusion for most real-time games, Quantum where determinism matters such as fighting and competitive titles. PUN is legacy and should not start a new project despite the volume of tutorials.

Photon Engine: Does it work outside Unity?

Unity is the first-class target. Unreal and other engines are supported through Realtime SDKs with less coverage and slower feature parity.

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