Software · head to head
Unity vs Cocos2d-x
Unity
Software
Create beautiful interactive content with the world's leading real-time engine
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Unity unity Personal is free only for businesses with under $200,000 in funding or annual revenue; above that a Pro subscription is required; Cocos2d-x cocos2d-x is MIT licensed with no commercial tier, and the vendor's own site directs users toward its newer engine, Cocos Creator, as the actively developed product, leaving Cocos2d-x without a first-party paid support or upgrade path.
- They diverge on capability: Unity covers Visual editor, Cocos2d-x covers 2D rendering.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Unity and Cocos2d-x 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 Unity
- Visual editor
- Physics engine (PhysX)
- Particle system
- Built-in audio engine
- Scripting with C#
- Asset Store
- Version control integration
- Visual Studio Code
Only in Cocos2d-x
- 2D rendering
- Physics engine (Chipmunk)
- Particle effects
- Audio engine
- Touch input handling
- Tilemap support
- Sprite batching
- Visual Studio
Both cover
- Animation system
- GitHub
- Local deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Unity
- Building 2D and 3D games for desktop, mobile, web, AR and VRnot Cocos2d-x
- Shipping console titles under a Pro or Enterprise licencenot Cocos2d-x
- Real time 3D for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisationnot Cocos2d-x
- Live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile gamesnot Cocos2d-x
Cocos2d-x
- Mobile game developmentnot Unity
- 2D gamesnot Unity
- Lightweight gamesnot Unity
- Cross-platform gamesnot Unity
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Unity
- Unity Personal is free only for businesses with under $200,000 in funding or annual revenue; above that a Pro subscription is required
- Unity Pro costs $210.00 per month or $2,310.00 per year per seat
- Businesses with more than $25M in annual revenue are required to be on Unity Enterprise, which is custom priced and requires contacting sales
- Deploying to game consoles and to Apple Vision Pro requires Unity Pro or above
- Splash screen customization is not available on Unity Personal
- Unity Personal is licensed for gaming and entertainment applications only
- Read-only engine source code access is an Enterprise feature and carries an additional cost
- Asset Manager storage on Personal is capped at 10 GB per organization
- Unity AI tools are free for a 14 day trial on Personal, after which a paid subscription is required
- Enterprise terms note that minimum subscription or spending commitments may apply
Cocos2d-x
- Cocos2d-x is MIT licensed with no commercial tier, and the vendor's own site directs users toward its newer engine, Cocos Creator, as the actively developed product, leaving Cocos2d-x without a first-party paid support or upgrade path.
Pricing, plan by plan
Unity
Free- PersonalFree
- Full engine access
- Asset Store access
- Community support
- Professional$399/month
- All Personal features
- Priority support
- Advanced analytics
Cocos2d-x
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine source
- MIT License
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Unity if
- You need visual editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl.
- You also want physics engine (physx).
Choose Cocos2d-x if
- You need 2d rendering.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
- You also want physics engine (chipmunk).
Questions people ask
- Is Unity or Cocos2d-x better?
- Neither clearly leads. Unity starts at Free and Cocos2d-x at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Unity or Cocos2d-x?
- Unity starts at Free and Cocos2d-x at Free.
- Does Unity or Cocos2d-x run on more platforms?
- Unity runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl. Cocos2d-x runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Unity for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Unity best used for?
- Unity is most often used for building 2d and 3d games for desktop, mobile, web, ar and vr, shipping console titles under a pro or enterprise licence, real time 3d for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisation, live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile games. Of those, building 2d and 3d games for desktop, mobile, web, ar and vr and shipping console titles under a pro or enterprise licence are not what Cocos2d-x is typically brought in for.
- What can Unity do that Cocos2d-x cannot?
- Unity covers Visual editor, Physics engine (PhysX), Particle system, Built-in audio engine. Cocos2d-x covers 2D rendering, Physics engine (Chipmunk), Particle effects, Audio engine. Both handle Animation system, GitHub, Local deployment.