Game Development · head to head
Phaser vs Pico-8
Phaser
Game Development
Fast, free, and fun open source framework for Canvas and WebGL
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Pico-8
Game Development
A fantasy console for making, sharing and playing tiny games
- From
- $14.99/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Phaser has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Phaser the Phaser framework is open source but Phaser Editor is a commercial product at $12 per month; Pico-8 extremely limited display resolution of 128x128 pixels with 16-colour palette
- They diverge on capability: Phaser covers Canvas and WebGL rendering, Pico-8 covers Pixel art editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Phaser and Pico-8 actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Pico-8
- Pixel art editor
- Music composer
- Lua scripting
- Built-in palette
- Sprite system
- Map editor
- Code editor
- Game cartridges
Both cover
- Web deployment
- Web support
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 Pico-8
- Rapid browser game prototyping with a code editor, tilemap and atlas toolsnot Pico-8
- Publishing web games with one click hostingnot Pico-8
Pico-8
- Retro-style indie game developmentnot Phaser
- Educational game programmingnot Phaser
- Game jam participationnot Phaser
- Pixel art game creation with strict creative constraintsnot 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
Pico-8
- Extremely limited display resolution of 128x128 pixels with 16-colour palette
- Cart size capped at 32 kilobytes
- Only 256 sprites of 8x8 pixels available
- Map limited to 128x32 tiles
- Monophonic sound synthesis with 4-channel chip synthesis only
- Lua programming language exclusively; no other language support
Pricing, plan by plan
Phaser
Free- FreeFree
- Full source code
- Community support
- Game examples
Pico-8
$14.99/one-timeNo published plan breakdown. See the Pico-8 review.
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 Pico-8 if
- You need pixel art editor.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi.
- You also want music composer.
Questions people ask
- Is Phaser or Pico-8 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Phaser starts at Free and Pico-8 at $14.99/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Phaser or Pico-8?
- Phaser has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Phaser and $14.99/one-time for Pico-8.
- Does Phaser or Pico-8 run on more platforms?
- Phaser runs on Web, Ios, Android. Pico-8 runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi.
- Can I use Phaser for free?
- Yes. Phaser has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Pico-8 starts at $14.99/one-time.
- 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 Pico-8 is typically brought in for.
- What can Phaser do that Pico-8 cannot?
- Phaser covers Canvas and WebGL rendering, Physics engine (Arcade), Input handling, Animation system. Pico-8 covers Pixel art editor, Music composer, Lua scripting, Built-in palette. Both handle Web deployment, Web support.
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