Software · head to head
Stride vs Flax Engine
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Stride free and open source under MIT license, editor and runtime fully open source with no commercial tier; Flax Engine flax charges a 4% royalty on game earnings above $250,000, assessed per calendar quarter
- They diverge on capability: Stride covers Physics engine (Bullet), Flax Engine covers Visual editor.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Stride and Flax Engine actually diverge.
| Attribute | Stride | Flax Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | 2017 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox), 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 Stride
- Physics engine (Bullet)
- Scene editor
- Lighting and shadows
Only in Flax Engine
- Visual editor
- Physics engine
- Lighting system
Both cover
- 3D graphics rendering
- Audio system
- Material system
- Skeletal animation
- Particle effects
- C# scripting
- C#
- .NET
- Visual Studio
- Open-source
- Local deployment
- Console deployment
- Windows support
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Stride
- 3D game developmentnot Flax Engine
- Console gamesnot Flax Engine
- Desktop gamesnot Flax Engine
Flax Engine
- Building 3D games in C# and C++ with full engine source accessnot Stride
- Multi-platform deployment from one editornot Stride
- Prototyping with the bundled Flax Samples projectsnot Stride
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Stride
- Free and open source under MIT license, editor and runtime fully open source with no commercial tier
Flax Engine
- Flax charges a 4% royalty on game earnings above $250,000, assessed per calendar quarter
- Free use is granted for non-commercial or educational usage; commercial releases fall under the royalty
- Users must accept the Flax Engine End-User License Agreement before using the engine or its tools, so it is not an OSI open source licence despite the source being on GitHub
- Non-game uses such as in-house tools or SaaS products need a custom licence negotiated with the vendor, and no rate card is published for per-seat or flat-fee options
Pricing, plan by plan
Stride
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine
- C# scripting
- 3D graphics
Flax Engine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine
- Visual editor
- C# scripting
Which should you pick?
Choose Stride if
- You need physics engine (bullet).
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox.
- You also want scene editor.
Choose Flax Engine if
- You need visual editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox.
- You also want physics engine.
Questions people ask
- Is Stride or Flax Engine better?
- Neither clearly leads. Stride starts at Free and Flax Engine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Stride or Flax Engine?
- Stride starts at Free and Flax Engine at Free.
- Does Stride or Flax Engine run on more platforms?
- Both run on Windows, Linux, Playstation, Xbox, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Stride for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Stride best used for?
- Stride is most often used for 3d game development, console games, desktop games. Of those, 3d game development and console games are not what Flax Engine is typically brought in for.
- What can Stride do that Flax Engine cannot?
- Stride covers Physics engine (Bullet), Scene editor, Lighting and shadows. Flax Engine covers Visual editor, Physics engine, Lighting system. Both handle 3D graphics rendering, Audio system, Material system, Skeletal animation.