Game Development · head to head
Unity vs Gamesparks
Unity
Game Development
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; 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: Unity covers Visual editor, Gamesparks covers Real-time features.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Unity and Gamesparks actually diverge.
| Attribute | Unity | Gamesparks |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Platforms | Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl | Cross-platform |
| Founded | 2004 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Game Development).
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)
- Animation system
- Particle system
- Built-in audio engine
- Scripting with C#
- Asset Store
- Version control integration
Only in Gamesparks
- Real-time features
- Multiplayer support
- User authentication
- Data storage
- Matchmaking
- WebSocket support
- Cloud integration
- Analytics
Both cover
- Cloud 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 Gamesparks
- Shipping console titles under a Pro or Enterprise licencenot Gamesparks
- Real time 3D for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisationnot Gamesparks
- Live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile gamesnot Gamesparks
Gamesparks
- Multiplayer gamesnot Unity
- Real-time gamesnot Unity
- Cloud gamingnot Unity
- Game analyticsnot 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
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
Unity
Free- PersonalFree
- Full engine access
- Asset Store access
- Community support
- Professional$399/month
- All Personal features
- Priority support
- Advanced analytics
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 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 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 Unity or Gamesparks better?
- Neither clearly leads. Unity 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, Unity or Gamesparks?
- Unity starts at Free and Gamesparks at Free.
- Does Unity or Gamesparks run on more platforms?
- Unity runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl. Gamesparks runs on Cross-platform.
- 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 Gamesparks is typically brought in for.
- What can Unity do that Gamesparks cannot?
- Unity covers Visual editor, Physics engine (PhysX), Animation system, Particle system. Gamesparks covers Real-time features, Multiplayer support, User authentication, Data storage. Both handle Cloud deployment.