Software · head to head
Aseprite vs PlayFab
The short version
- Only PlayFab 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; PlayFab a title in development mode can only have up to 1,000 lifetime player account creations
- They diverge on capability: Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, PlayFab covers Player authentication.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Aseprite and PlayFab actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 PlayFab
- Player authentication
- Data storage
- Analytics
- Multiplayer features
- Economy system
- Matchmaking
- Cloud saves
- Leaderboards
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Aseprite
- Pixel art creation for gamesnot PlayFab
- Frame-by-frame sprite animationnot PlayFab
- Exporting sprite sheets and GIFsnot PlayFab
- Scripting repetitive export tasks through the command linenot PlayFab
PlayFab
- Backend as a service for live games, covering accounts, leaderboards and player datanot Aseprite
- Hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on Azurenot Aseprite
- LiveOps, in-game economy and player segmentation for game studiosnot 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
PlayFab
- A title in development mode can only have up to 1,000 lifetime player account creations
- Multiplayer server costs are billed per VM compute hour on Azure virtual machines and vary by region and VM family
- Network egress is charged per GB and varies by zone, at $0.05 in Zone 1, $0.08 in Zone 2 and $0.20 in Zone 3
- Pricing is consumption based across a set of separate meters rather than a flat plan
- The vendor states prices are subject to change and that actual costs depend on the PlayFab plan and usage
Pricing, plan by plan
Aseprite
$19.99/once- License$19.99/once
- Full feature set
- Free updates
- Commercial use
PlayFab
Free- FreeFree
- 100K monthly active users
- Basic API
- Player authentication
- Professional$100/month
- Unlimited MAU
- Advanced features
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Aseprite if
- You need pixel art tools.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- You also want animation timeline.
Choose PlayFab if
- You need player authentication.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cross-platform.
- You also want data storage.
Questions people ask
- Is Aseprite or PlayFab better?
- Neither clearly leads. Aseprite starts at $19.99/once and PlayFab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Aseprite or PlayFab?
- PlayFab has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19.99/once for Aseprite and Free for PlayFab.
- Does Aseprite or PlayFab run on more platforms?
- Aseprite runs on Windows, Macos, Linux. PlayFab runs on Cross-platform.
- Can I use PlayFab for free?
- Yes. PlayFab 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 PlayFab is typically brought in for.
- What can Aseprite do that PlayFab cannot?
- Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, Animation timeline, Onion skinning, Layers. PlayFab covers Player authentication, Data storage, Analytics, Multiplayer features.