Game Development · head to head
Aseprite vs CryEngine
Aseprite
Game Development
Animated sprite editor and pixel art tool
- From
- $19.99/once
- Rated
- -
CryEngine
Game Development
Build worlds, break limits. Professional game development engine.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CryEngine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Aseprite a one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial; CryEngine a royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE
- They diverge on capability: Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, CryEngine covers Advanced graphics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Aseprite and CryEngine actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Aseprite
- Pixel art tools
- Animation timeline
- Onion skinning
- Layers
- Tilemap editor
- Color palettes
- Sprite sheets
- Scripting (Lua)
Only in CryEngine
- Advanced graphics
- Physics engine
- AI system
- Animation tools
- Flow Graph visual scripting
- C++ and Lua support
- Entity component system
- Sandbox editor
Both cover
- Local deployment
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Aseprite
- Pixel art creation for gamesnot CryEngine
- Frame-by-frame sprite animationnot CryEngine
- Exporting sprite sheets and GIFsnot CryEngine
- Scripting repetitive export tasks through the command linenot CryEngine
CryEngine
- Building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illuminationnot Aseprite
- Developing with full engine source code accessnot Aseprite
- Sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get exportnot Aseprite
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Aseprite
- A one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial
- Deliberately narrow: a pixel art and sprite animation editor rather than a general image editor
- The site does not state supported platforms or licence terms, which are on GitHub instead
CryEngine
- A royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE
- Royalties are waived only on the first USD 5,000.00 of Gross Receipts per year per game
- Royalties are calculated at source on gross receipts before any publisher or platform deductions, so a developer receiving 70% of USD 100,000 still owes USD 4,750
- Military projects, gambling, simulation, science, architecture and serious games are excluded from the standard licence and are not covered as Games
- The licence forbids combining CRYENGINE with code from other game engine providers
- Supported platforms are limited to those Crytek announces at its sole discretion, listed in the agreement as Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
- Support is only provided against payment of a separate Support Fee that Crytek may change at its sole discretion
- Crytek may modify the licence agreement at any time, with the only remedy for disagreement being to stop using CRYENGINE
Pricing, plan by plan
Aseprite
$19.99/once- License$19.99/once
- Full feature set
- Free updates
- Commercial use
CryEngine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine access
- Source code
- Asset library
Which should you pick?
Choose Aseprite if
- You need pixel art tools.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- You also want animation timeline.
Choose CryEngine if
- You need advanced graphics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux.
- You also want physics engine.
Questions people ask
- Is Aseprite or CryEngine better?
- Neither clearly leads. Aseprite starts at $19.99/once and CryEngine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Aseprite or CryEngine?
- CryEngine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19.99/once for Aseprite and Free for CryEngine.
- Does Aseprite or CryEngine run on more platforms?
- Aseprite runs on Windows, Macos, Linux. CryEngine runs on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux.
- Can I use CryEngine for free?
- Yes. CryEngine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aseprite starts at $19.99/once.
- What is Aseprite best used for?
- Aseprite is most often used for pixel art creation for games, frame-by-frame sprite animation, exporting sprite sheets and gifs, scripting repetitive export tasks through the command line. Of those, pixel art creation for games and frame-by-frame sprite animation are not what CryEngine is typically brought in for.
- What can Aseprite do that CryEngine cannot?
- Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, Animation timeline, Onion skinning, Layers. CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, Physics engine, AI system, Animation tools. Both handle Local deployment, Windows support.