Game Development · head to head
Cocos2d-x vs Wwise
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Cocos2d-x cocos2d-x is MIT licensed with no commercial tier, and the vendor's own site directs users toward its newer engine, Cocos Creator, as the actively developed product, leaving Cocos2d-x without a first-party paid support or upgrade path.; Wwise tier eligibility is set by production budget: the free Indie plan requires a production budget under $250K
- They diverge on capability: Cocos2d-x covers 2D rendering, Wwise covers Wwise Authoring.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cocos2d-x and Wwise 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 Cocos2d-x
- 2D rendering
- Physics engine (Chipmunk)
- Particle effects
- Animation system
- Audio engine
- Touch input handling
- Tilemap support
- Sprite batching
Only in Wwise
- Wwise Authoring
- Interactive music
- 3D audio
- Spatial audio
- Ambisonics
- Profiling
- Plugin architecture
- SoundSeed
Both cover
- Local deployment
- Windows support
- Macos support
- Linux support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cocos2d-x
- Mobile game developmentnot Wwise
- 2D gamesnot Wwise
- Lightweight gamesnot Wwise
- Cross-platform gamesnot Wwise
Wwise
- Authoring interactive and adaptive game audio outside the game enginenot Cocos2d-x
- Managing large sound banks and per-platform audio buildsnot Cocos2d-x
- Profiling runtime audio memory and voice counts on console targetsnot Cocos2d-x
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cocos2d-x
- Cocos2d-x is MIT licensed with no commercial tier, and the vendor's own site directs users toward its newer engine, Cocos Creator, as the actively developed product, leaving Cocos2d-x without a first-party paid support or upgrade path.
Wwise
- Tier eligibility is set by production budget: the free Indie plan requires a production budget under $250K
- A production budget between $250K and $2M requires the Pro plan, starting at $8,000 US
- A production budget above $2M requires the Premium plan, starting at $27,000 US, or Platinum starting at $52,000 US
- Licence pricing is per title and per platform rather than a flat studio fee, and the headline figures are starting prices
- Premium plug-ins and the Wwise DLC licence are optional paid add-ons on Pro and Premium rather than included
- Source code access is only available with a support package
- On the free Indie plan there is no paid support option at all, only community Q and A
- Royalty-free status is optional rather than automatic on the Pro plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Cocos2d-x
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine source
- MIT License
- Community support
Wwise
Free- FreeFree
- 500 media assets
- All features
- Non-commercial use
- Commercial$750/platform
- Unlimited assets
- Commercial use
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Cocos2d-x if
- You need 2d rendering.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
- You also want physics engine (chipmunk).
Choose Wwise if
- You need wwise authoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Consoles.
- You also want interactive music.
Questions people ask
- Is Cocos2d-x or Wwise better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cocos2d-x starts at Free and Wwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cocos2d-x or Wwise?
- Cocos2d-x starts at Free and Wwise at Free.
- Does Cocos2d-x or Wwise run on more platforms?
- Cocos2d-x runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android. Wwise runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Consoles.
- Can I use Cocos2d-x for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Cocos2d-x best used for?
- Cocos2d-x is most often used for mobile game development, 2d games, lightweight games, cross-platform games. Of those, mobile game development and 2d games are not what Wwise is typically brought in for.
- What can Cocos2d-x do that Wwise cannot?
- Cocos2d-x covers 2D rendering, Physics engine (Chipmunk), Particle effects, Animation system. Wwise covers Wwise Authoring, Interactive music, 3D audio, Spatial audio. Both handle Local deployment, Windows support, Macos support, Linux support.
Related pages
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- Wwise vs DragonBones
- Wwise vs Unity
- Wwise vs Aseprite
- Wwise vs Godot Engine
- Wwise vs Cascadeur
- Wwise vs Construct 3
- Wwise vs GameMaker Studio 2
- Wwise vs Mixamo
- Wwise vs Pico-8
- Wwise vs Substance 3D Painter
- Wwise vs Adventure Game Studio
- Wwise vs AppGameKit
- Wwise vs Armory3D
- Wwise vs Bevy
- Wwise vs Buildbox
- Wwise vs Clickteam Fusion
- Wwise vs CryEngine
- Wwise vs Defold