Software · head to head
PlayFab vs Fyrox
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PlayFab a title in development mode can only have up to 1,000 lifetime player account creations; Fyrox licensed under MIT with no commercial or paid tier; the engine is entirely free and open source
- They diverge on capability: PlayFab covers Player authentication, Fyrox covers Scene editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PlayFab and Fyrox actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 PlayFab
- Player authentication
- Data storage
- Analytics
- Multiplayer features
- Economy system
- Matchmaking
- Cloud saves
- Leaderboards
Only in Fyrox
- Scene editor
- 3D/2D rendering
- Physics (Rapier)
- Animation system
- Sound engine
- UI framework
- Navmesh
- Particle systems
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PlayFab
- Backend as a service for live games, covering accounts, leaderboards and player datanot Fyrox
- Hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on Azurenot Fyrox
- LiveOps, in-game economy and player segmentation for game studiosnot Fyrox
Fyrox
- 3D game developmentnot PlayFab
- 2D gamesnot PlayFab
- Simulationnot PlayFab
- Prototypingnot PlayFab
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
PlayFab
- A title in development mode can only have up to 1,000 lifetime player account creations
- Multiplayer server costs are billed per VM compute hour on Azure virtual machines and vary by region and VM family
- Network egress is charged per GB and varies by zone, at $0.05 in Zone 1, $0.08 in Zone 2 and $0.20 in Zone 3
- Pricing is consumption based across a set of separate meters rather than a flat plan
- The vendor states prices are subject to change and that actual costs depend on the PlayFab plan and usage
Fyrox
- Licensed under MIT with no commercial or paid tier; the engine is entirely free and open source
Pricing, plan by plan
PlayFab
Free- FreeFree
- 100K monthly active users
- Basic API
- Player authentication
- Professional$100/month
- Unlimited MAU
- Advanced features
- Priority support
Fyrox
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full engine access
- Scene editor
- Physics integration
Which should you pick?
Choose PlayFab if
- You need player authentication.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cross-platform.
- You also want data storage.
Choose Fyrox if
- You need scene editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl.
- You also want 3d/2d rendering.
Questions people ask
- Is PlayFab or Fyrox better?
- Neither clearly leads. PlayFab starts at Free and Fyrox at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PlayFab or Fyrox?
- PlayFab starts at Free and Fyrox at Free.
- Does PlayFab or Fyrox run on more platforms?
- PlayFab runs on Cross-platform. Fyrox runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Webgl.
- Can I use PlayFab for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is PlayFab best used for?
- PlayFab is most often used for backend as a service for live games, covering accounts, leaderboards and player data, hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on azure, liveops, in-game economy and player segmentation for game studios. Of those, backend as a service for live games, covering accounts, leaderboards and player data and hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on azure are not what Fyrox is typically brought in for.
- What can PlayFab do that Fyrox cannot?
- PlayFab covers Player authentication, Data storage, Analytics, Multiplayer features. Fyrox covers Scene editor, 3D/2D rendering, Physics (Rapier), Animation system.