Software · head to head
Flax Engine vs Stride
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Flax Engine flax charges a 4% royalty on game earnings above $250,000, assessed per calendar quarter; Stride free and open source under MIT license, editor and runtime fully open source with no commercial tier
- They diverge on capability: Flax Engine covers Visual editor, Stride covers Physics engine (Bullet).
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Flax Engine and Stride actually diverge.
| Attribute | Flax Engine | Stride |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox), 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 Flax Engine
- Visual editor
- Physics engine
- Lighting system
Only in Stride
- Physics engine (Bullet)
- Scene editor
- Lighting and shadows
Both cover
- 3D graphics rendering
- C# scripting
- Audio system
- Particle effects
- Skeletal animation
- Material system
- C#
- .NET
- Visual Studio
- Open-source
- Local deployment
- Console deployment
- Windows support
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Flax Engine
- Building 3D games in C# and C++ with full engine source accessnot Stride
- Multi-platform deployment from one editornot Stride
- Prototyping with the bundled Flax Samples projectsnot Stride
Stride
- 3D game developmentnot Flax Engine
- Console gamesnot Flax Engine
- Desktop gamesnot Flax Engine
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Flax Engine
- Flax charges a 4% royalty on game earnings above $250,000, assessed per calendar quarter
- Free use is granted for non-commercial or educational usage; commercial releases fall under the royalty
- Users must accept the Flax Engine End-User License Agreement before using the engine or its tools, so it is not an OSI open source licence despite the source being on GitHub
- Non-game uses such as in-house tools or SaaS products need a custom licence negotiated with the vendor, and no rate card is published for per-seat or flat-fee options
Stride
- Free and open source under MIT license, editor and runtime fully open source with no commercial tier
Pricing, plan by plan
Flax Engine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine
- Visual editor
- C# scripting
Stride
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine
- C# scripting
- 3D graphics
Which should you pick?
Choose Flax Engine if
- You need visual editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox.
- You also want physics engine.
Choose Stride if
- You need physics engine (bullet).
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox.
- You also want scene editor.
Questions people ask
- Is Flax Engine or Stride better?
- Neither clearly leads. Flax Engine starts at Free and Stride at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Flax Engine or Stride?
- Flax Engine starts at Free and Stride at Free.
- Does Flax Engine or Stride run on more platforms?
- Both run on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Flax Engine for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Flax Engine best used for?
- Flax Engine is most often used for building 3d games in c# and c++ with full engine source access, multi-platform deployment from one editor, prototyping with the bundled flax samples projects. Of those, building 3d games in c# and c++ with full engine source access and multi-platform deployment from one editor are not what Stride is typically brought in for.
- What can Flax Engine do that Stride cannot?
- Flax Engine covers Visual editor, Physics engine, Lighting system. Stride covers Physics engine (Bullet), Scene editor, Lighting and shadows. Both handle 3D graphics rendering, C# scripting, Audio system, Particle effects.