Software · head to head
PlayFab vs Gamesparks
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; Gamesparks aWS states "Starting October 1, 2022, access to the GameSparks console will no longer be available" and that all existing games and data needed to be migrated off the platform before that date
- They diverge on capability: PlayFab covers Player authentication, Gamesparks covers Real-time features.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PlayFab and Gamesparks actually diverge.
| Attribute | PlayFab | Gamesparks |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Founded | 1975 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Cross-platform), 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
- Multiplayer features
- Economy system
- Cloud saves
- Leaderboards
- Azure services
- Xbox Live
- Game Center
Only in Gamesparks
- Real-time features
- Multiplayer support
- User authentication
- WebSocket support
- Cloud integration
- AWS services
- DynamoDB
- Lambda
Both cover
- Data storage
- Analytics
- Matchmaking
- Encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Cross-platform support
- REST API language support
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 Gamesparks
- Hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on Azurenot Gamesparks
- LiveOps, in-game economy and player segmentation for game studiosnot Gamesparks
Gamesparks
- Multiplayer gamesnot PlayFab
- Real-time gamesnot PlayFab
- Cloud gamingnot PlayFab
- Game analyticsnot 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
Gamesparks
- AWS states "Starting October 1, 2022, access to the GameSparks console will no longer be available" and that all existing games and data needed to be migrated off the platform before that date
Pricing, plan by plan
PlayFab
Free- FreeFree
- 100K monthly active users
- Basic API
- Player authentication
- Professional$100/month
- Unlimited MAU
- Advanced features
- Priority support
Gamesparks
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M API requests
- 1M CloudWatch logs
- Free for first year
- Pay-as-you-go$0.01/request
- Unlimited API requests
- Real-time multiplayer
- CloudWatch 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 multiplayer features.
Choose Gamesparks if
- You need real-time features.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cross-platform.
- You also want multiplayer support.
Questions people ask
- Is PlayFab or Gamesparks better?
- Neither clearly leads. PlayFab starts at Free and Gamesparks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PlayFab or Gamesparks?
- PlayFab starts at Free and Gamesparks at Free.
- Does PlayFab or Gamesparks run on more platforms?
- Both run on Cross-platform, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 Gamesparks is typically brought in for.
- What can PlayFab do that Gamesparks cannot?
- PlayFab covers Player authentication, Multiplayer features, Economy system, Cloud saves. Gamesparks covers Real-time features, Multiplayer support, User authentication, WebSocket support. Both handle Data storage, Analytics, Matchmaking, Encryption.