Game Development · head to head
Construct 3 vs Unity
Construct 3
Game Development
Create games without coding. Powered by the Scirra engine.
- 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: Construct 3 the free version caps projects at 50 events, or 25 when used without an account; 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: Construct 3 covers Visual event system, Unity covers Visual editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Construct 3 and Unity actually diverge.
| Attribute | Construct 3 | Unity |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web | Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl |
| Founded | 2007 | 2004 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Construct 3
- Visual event system
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Physics engine
- Sprite editor
- Particle effects
- Sound effects
- Web-based
- HTML5 support
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
- GitHub
- Local deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Construct 3
- Building 2D browser games without writing codenot Unity
- Publishing HTML5 games to the web, desktop and mobile stores from one projectnot Unity
Unity
- Building 2D and 3D games for desktop, mobile, web, AR and VRnot Construct 3
- Shipping console titles under a Pro or Enterprise licencenot Construct 3
- Real time 3D for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisationnot Construct 3
- Live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile gamesnot Construct 3
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Construct 3
- The free version caps projects at 50 events, or 25 when used without an account
- Free projects are limited to 2 layers, 2 special effects, 1 timeline animation of up to 5 seconds and 1 web font
- The free version can only publish to HTML5 and the Construct Arcade, so desktop, Android, iOS and Facebook Instant Games all need a paid plan
- Licences are per seat and annual, at $129.99 for Personal, $168.99 for Startup Business and $468.99 for Business
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
Construct 3
Free- FreeFree
- Web-based editor
- HTML5 export
- Asset library
- Personal$99/year
- All Free features
- Offline editor
- Advanced export
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 Construct 3 if
- You need visual event system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want drag-and-drop editor.
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 Construct 3 or Unity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Construct 3 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, Construct 3 or Unity?
- Construct 3 starts at Free and Unity at Free.
- Does Construct 3 or Unity run on more platforms?
- Construct 3 runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web. Unity runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl.
- Can I use Construct 3 for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Construct 3 best used for?
- Construct 3 is most often used for building 2d browser games without writing code, publishing html5 games to the web, desktop and mobile stores from one project. Of those, building 2d browser games without writing code and publishing html5 games to the web, desktop and mobile stores from one project are not what Unity is typically brought in for.
- What can Construct 3 do that Unity cannot?
- Construct 3 covers Visual event system, Drag-and-drop editor, Physics engine, Sprite editor. Unity covers Visual editor, Physics engine (PhysX), Animation system, Particle system. Both handle GitHub, Local deployment.