Game Development · head to head
Phaser vs Bevy
Phaser
Game Development
Fast, free, and fun open source framework for Canvas and WebGL
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Bevy
Game Development
A refreshingly simple data-driven game engine built in Rust
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Phaser the Phaser framework is open source but Phaser Editor is a commercial product at $12 per month; Bevy rust only, so it assumes a language most game teams do not already use
- They diverge on capability: Phaser covers Canvas and WebGL rendering, Bevy covers Entity Component System.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Phaser and Bevy actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (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 Phaser
- Canvas and WebGL rendering
- Physics engine (Arcade)
- Input handling
- Animation system
- Audio support
- Particle effects
- Tilemaps
- Event system
Only in Bevy
- Entity Component System
- 2D/3D rendering
- Audio system
- Asset pipeline
- Hot reloading
- Cross-platform
- Modular architecture
- Parallel systems
Both cover
- Web deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Phaser
- Building 2D HTML5 games that run in the browsernot Bevy
- Rapid browser game prototyping with a code editor, tilemap and atlas toolsnot Bevy
- Publishing web games with one click hostingnot Bevy
Bevy
- 2D and 3D game development in Rustnot Phaser
- Data-driven design using an entity component systemnot Phaser
- Shipping to Windows, macOS, Linux, web, iOS and Android from one codebasenot Phaser
- Projects wanting a permissive licence with no royalties or feesnot Phaser
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Phaser
- The Phaser framework is open source but Phaser Editor is a commercial product at $12 per month
- Phaser Editor stops working when the licence expires
- No free trial of Phaser Editor is offered
- AI tools in the free Phaser suite require purchasing credits
- SSO through Google Workspace, private support and Editor source code availability are Enterprise only, which is custom priced and requires contacting sales
- No educational discounts are offered
- Subscription cancellations are not refunded pro rata
Bevy
- Rust only, so it assumes a language most game teams do not already use
- No visual editor of the kind Unity or Godot provide, so scenes and logic are written in code
- Built around ECS, which is a different mental model from the scene-graph engines most developers come from
Pricing, plan by plan
Phaser
Free- FreeFree
- Full source code
- Community support
- Game examples
Bevy
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full engine access
- ECS architecture
- Hot reloading
Which should you pick?
Choose Phaser if
- You need canvas and webgl rendering.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want physics engine (arcade).
Choose Bevy if
- You need entity component system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl.
- You also want 2d/3d rendering.
Questions people ask
- Is Phaser or Bevy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Phaser starts at Free and Bevy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Phaser or Bevy?
- Phaser starts at Free and Bevy at Free.
- Does Phaser or Bevy run on more platforms?
- Phaser runs on Web, Ios, Android. Bevy runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl.
- Can I use Phaser for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Phaser best used for?
- Phaser is most often used for building 2d html5 games that run in the browser, rapid browser game prototyping with a code editor, tilemap and atlas tools, publishing web games with one click hosting. Of those, building 2d html5 games that run in the browser and rapid browser game prototyping with a code editor, tilemap and atlas tools are not what Bevy is typically brought in for.
- What can Phaser do that Bevy cannot?
- Phaser covers Canvas and WebGL rendering, Physics engine (Arcade), Input handling, Animation system. Bevy covers Entity Component System, 2D/3D rendering, Audio system, Asset pipeline. Both handle Web deployment.