Softwr

Gaming · head to head

itch.io vs Lutris

itch.io logo

itch.io

Gaming

Open marketplace for indie games and game assets

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lutris logo

Lutris

Gaming

Open source Linux game manager built around community install scripts and Wine runner management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: itch.io open publishing means enormous variance in quality and very little curation; Lutris it runs on Linux only, so it is irrelevant to the large majority of players and offers nothing to a Windows household.
  • They diverge on capability: itch.io covers Open publishing, Lutris covers Community install scripts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which itch.io and Lutris actually diverge.

Attributes where itch.io and Lutris differ
Attributeitch.ioLutris
Pricing modelFree to publish; creator-set revenue share on salesOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, LinuxLinux

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Gaming).

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 itch.io

  • Open publishing
  • Creator-set revenue share
  • Game jams
  • Pay what you want

Only in Lutris

  • Community install scripts
  • Wine and Proton management
  • Multi-source library
  • Emulator support
  • Per-game configuration
  • Native Linux packaging

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

itch.io

  • Publishing an independent or experimental game without an approval processnot Lutris
  • Running or entering a game jamnot Lutris
  • Buying game assets, tools and charity bundlesnot Lutris

Lutris

  • A Linux desktop user with a GOG or Epic library that Steam compatibility does not covernot itch.io
  • Running an older Windows game that needs a specific Wine build and configurationnot itch.io
  • Keeping emulators and native Linux games in one launcher rather than severalnot itch.io

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

itch.io

  • Open publishing means enormous variance in quality and very little curation
  • Discovery is difficult: without curation, a new release can go entirely unseen
  • Consumer audience is far smaller than the mainstream storefronts
  • Client and library features are minimal compared with Steam or GOG

Lutris

  • It runs on Linux only, so it is irrelevant to the large majority of players and offers nothing to a Windows household.
  • Install scripts are community-maintained and rot without warning, so a game that installed in one click last year can fail today with an error that means nothing to a new user.
  • Diagnosing a failure requires understanding Wine prefixes, runner versions and library overrides, which is a substantial amount of knowledge for what is presented as a launcher.
  • Runner version management is manual and the naming is opaque, so users end up with several multi-gigabyte Wine builds and no clear idea which game needs which.
  • Multiplayer titles with kernel-level anti-cheat will not run regardless of configuration, and no amount of work in Lutris changes that.

Pricing, plan by plan

itch.io

Free
  • itch.ioFree
    • Free publishing
    • Creator-set revenue share
    • Game jam hosting

Lutris

Free
  • LutrisFree
    • Full functionality
    • No account required for local use
    • Community install scripts free

Which should you pick?

Choose itch.io if

  • You need open publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want creator-set revenue share.
itch.io review

Choose Lutris if

  • You need community install scripts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want wine and proton management.
Lutris review

Questions people ask

Is itch.io or Lutris better?
Neither clearly leads. itch.io starts at Free and Lutris at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, itch.io or Lutris?
itch.io starts at Free and Lutris at Free.
Does itch.io or Lutris run on more platforms?
itch.io runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. Lutris runs on Linux.
Can I use itch.io for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is itch.io best used for?
itch.io is most often used for publishing an independent or experimental game without an approval process, running or entering a game jam, buying game assets, tools and charity bundles. Of those, publishing an independent or experimental game without an approval process and running or entering a game jam are not what Lutris is typically brought in for.
What can itch.io do that Lutris cannot?
itch.io covers Open publishing, Creator-set revenue share, Game jams, Pay what you want. Lutris covers Community install scripts, Wine and Proton management, Multi-source library, Emulator support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

itch.io: Is itch.io free?

Yes to publish, and creators set their own revenue share on sales — including zero.

Lutris: Do I need Lutris if I use Steam on Linux?

Not for Steam games, which Steam handles with its own compatibility layer. Lutris is for everything outside Steam.

itch.io: Who uses itch.io?

Independent and experimental developers, students, and most major game jams including Ludum Dare submissions.

Lutris: Why did a game that used to work stop working?

Usually the install script or the runner it referenced changed. Check the script page for the game and whether anyone has updated it recently.

itch.io: Why is discovery hard there?

Because publishing is open and uncurated. That is what makes it accessible to any creator, and it means new releases can go unseen.

Lutris: Will it run games with anti-cheat?

Often not. Kernel-level anti-cheat blocks Linux regardless of the launcher, and this is a publisher decision rather than a technical gap in Lutris.

Share

Related pages

More on itch.io

More on Lutris

Keep looking

Other head to heads