Software · head to head
V-Ray vs Defold
The short version
- Only Defold has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product; Defold the Defold License requires you to include the Defold license and copyright notice in any work you create with the engine
- They diverge on capability: V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Defold covers Lua scripting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which V-Ray and Defold 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 V-Ray
- Ray tracing
- Global illumination
- GPU rendering
- CPU rendering
- Materials
- Lighting
- VR output
- Scene intelligence
Only in Defold
- Lua scripting
- Physics engine
- Sprite system
- Particle effects
- Sound management
- Collection editor
- Mobile optimization
- Lightweight
Both cover
- Windows support
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
V-Ray
- Photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisationnot Defold
- Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot Defold
Defold
- Building 2D games for mobile, desktop, web and console from a single projectnot V-Ray
- Shipping small-footprint HTML5 gamesnot V-Ray
- Teams wanting a free engine with no revenue share on gamesnot V-Ray
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
V-Ray
- Licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product
- Subscription terms renew automatically
- Cloud rendering runs on separately purchased credits, with the Pro tier at $25.30 a month for 1,000
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
Defold
- The Defold License requires you to include the Defold license and copyright notice in any work you create with the engine
- The licence forbids commercialising original or modified versions of the Defold editor or engine itself
- Significant changes made to the Defold source must be documented under the licence terms
Pricing, plan by plan
V-Ray
$29/month- V-Ray Solo$60/month
- 1 workstation
- 5 render nodes
- V-Ray Premium$80/month
- Multiple apps
- Cloud credits
Defold
Free- FreeFree
- Full editor
- Lua scripting
- Physics engine
Which should you pick?
Choose V-Ray if
- You need ray tracing.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want global illumination.
Choose Defold if
- You need lua scripting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want physics engine.
Questions people ask
- Is V-Ray or Defold better?
- Neither clearly leads. V-Ray starts at $29/month and Defold at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, V-Ray or Defold?
- Defold has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for V-Ray and Free for Defold.
- Does V-Ray or Defold run on more platforms?
- V-Ray runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Defold runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
- Can I use Defold for free?
- Yes. Defold has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. V-Ray starts at $29/month.
- What is V-Ray best used for?
- V-Ray is most often used for photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation, real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications. Of those, photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation and real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications are not what Defold is typically brought in for.
- What can V-Ray do that Defold cannot?
- V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, GPU rendering, CPU rendering. Defold covers Lua scripting, Physics engine, Sprite system, Particle effects. Both handle Windows support, Linux support.
Related pages
Keep looking
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- Defold vs Mudbox
- Defold vs Corona Renderer
- Defold vs D5 Render
- Defold vs Twinmotion
- Defold vs LightWave 3D
- Defold vs OpenSCAD
- Defold vs PrusaSlicer
- Defold vs Siemens NX
- Defold vs ZBrush
- Defold vs 3D-Coat
- Defold vs Alibre Design
- Defold vs DragonBones
- Defold vs Unity
- Defold vs Aseprite
- Defold vs Godot Engine
- Defold vs Cascadeur
- Defold vs Construct 3
- Defold vs GameMaker Studio 2
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- Defold vs Pico-8
- Defold vs Substance 3D Painter
- Defold vs Adventure Game Studio
- Defold vs AppGameKit
- Defold vs Armory3D
- Defold vs Bevy
- Defold vs Buildbox
- Defold vs Clickteam Fusion
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