Software · head to head
PlayFab vs GDevelop
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; GDevelop the free tier allows 3 cloud projects and one desktop or Android build per day
- They diverge on capability: PlayFab covers Player authentication, GDevelop covers Visual event editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PlayFab and GDevelop 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 GDevelop
- Visual event editor
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Physics engine
- Particle effects
- Sprite editor
- Sound editor
- Scene editor
- Extensions 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 GDevelop
- Hosting dedicated multiplayer game servers on Azurenot GDevelop
- LiveOps, in-game economy and player segmentation for game studiosnot GDevelop
GDevelop
- Building 2D games with visual event logic rather than codenot PlayFab
- Exporting one project to web, desktop, Android and iOSnot 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
GDevelop
- The free tier allows 3 cloud projects and one desktop or Android build per day
- Free accounts get one leaderboard per game
- Publishing to the iOS App Store requires the Gold plan, which caps those exports at 15 a month
- AI credits are metered per tier, from 40 a month on free to 3,000 a week on Pro
Pricing, plan by plan
PlayFab
Free- FreeFree
- 100K monthly active users
- Basic API
- Player authentication
- Professional$100/month
- Unlimited MAU
- Advanced features
- Priority support
GDevelop
Free- FreeFree
- Full editor
- Cross-platform export
- Asset library
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 GDevelop if
- You need visual event editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want drag-and-drop interface.
Questions people ask
- Is PlayFab or GDevelop better?
- Neither clearly leads. PlayFab starts at Free and GDevelop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PlayFab or GDevelop?
- PlayFab starts at Free and GDevelop at Free.
- Does PlayFab or GDevelop run on more platforms?
- PlayFab runs on Cross-platform. GDevelop runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
- 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 GDevelop is typically brought in for.
- What can PlayFab do that GDevelop cannot?
- PlayFab covers Player authentication, Data storage, Analytics, Multiplayer features. GDevelop covers Visual event editor, Drag-and-drop interface, Physics engine, Particle effects.