Game Development · head to head
Bevy vs Unity
Bevy
Game Development
A refreshingly simple data-driven game engine built in Rust
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Unity
Game Development
Create beautiful interactive content with the world's leading real-time engine
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Bevy rust only, so it assumes a language most game teams do not already use; Unity unity Personal is free only for businesses with under $200,000 in funding or annual revenue; above that a Pro subscription is required
- They diverge on capability: Bevy covers Entity Component System, Unity covers Visual editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Bevy and Unity actually diverge.
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 Bevy
- Entity Component System
- 2D/3D rendering
- Audio system
- Asset pipeline
- Hot reloading
- Cross-platform
- Modular architecture
- Parallel systems
Only in Unity
- Visual editor
- Physics engine (PhysX)
- Animation system
- Particle system
- Built-in audio engine
- Scripting with C#
- Asset Store
- Version control integration
Both cover
- Local deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Bevy
- 2D and 3D game development in Rustnot Unity
- Data-driven design using an entity component systemnot Unity
- Shipping to Windows, macOS, Linux, web, iOS and Android from one codebasenot Unity
- Projects wanting a permissive licence with no royalties or feesnot Unity
Unity
- Building 2D and 3D games for desktop, mobile, web, AR and VRnot Bevy
- Shipping console titles under a Pro or Enterprise licencenot Bevy
- Real time 3D for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisationnot Bevy
- Live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile gamesnot Bevy
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Bevy
- Rust only, so it assumes a language most game teams do not already use
- No visual editor of the kind Unity or Godot provide, so scenes and logic are written in code
- Built around ECS, which is a different mental model from the scene-graph engines most developers come from
Unity
- Unity Personal is free only for businesses with under $200,000 in funding or annual revenue; above that a Pro subscription is required
- Unity Pro costs $210.00 per month or $2,310.00 per year per seat
- Businesses with more than $25M in annual revenue are required to be on Unity Enterprise, which is custom priced and requires contacting sales
- Deploying to game consoles and to Apple Vision Pro requires Unity Pro or above
- Splash screen customization is not available on Unity Personal
- Unity Personal is licensed for gaming and entertainment applications only
- Read-only engine source code access is an Enterprise feature and carries an additional cost
- Asset Manager storage on Personal is capped at 10 GB per organization
- Unity AI tools are free for a 14 day trial on Personal, after which a paid subscription is required
- Enterprise terms note that minimum subscription or spending commitments may apply
Pricing, plan by plan
Bevy
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full engine access
- ECS architecture
- Hot reloading
Unity
Free- PersonalFree
- Full engine access
- Asset Store access
- Community support
- Professional$399/month
- All Personal features
- Priority support
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Bevy if
- You need entity component system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl.
- You also want 2d/3d rendering.
Choose Unity if
- You need visual editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl.
- You also want physics engine (physx).
Questions people ask
- Is Bevy or Unity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Bevy starts at Free and Unity at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Bevy or Unity?
- Bevy starts at Free and Unity at Free.
- Does Bevy or Unity run on more platforms?
- Bevy runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl. Unity runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl.
- Can I use Bevy for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Bevy best used for?
- Bevy is most often used for 2d and 3d game development in rust, data-driven design using an entity component system, shipping to windows, macos, linux, web, ios and android from one codebase, projects wanting a permissive licence with no royalties or fees. Of those, 2d and 3d game development in rust and data-driven design using an entity component system are not what Unity is typically brought in for.
- What can Bevy do that Unity cannot?
- Bevy covers Entity Component System, 2D/3D rendering, Audio system, Asset pipeline. Unity covers Visual editor, Physics engine (PhysX), Animation system, Particle system. Both handle Local deployment.