Softwr

Game Development · head to head

Unity vs Wwise

Unity logo

Unity

Game Development

Create beautiful interactive content with the world's leading real-time engine

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wwise logo

Wwise

Game Development

The most advanced audio middleware for games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Wwise tier eligibility is set by production budget: the free Indie plan requires a production budget under $250K
  • They diverge on capability: Unity covers Visual editor, Wwise covers Wwise Authoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Unity and Wwise actually diverge.

Attributes where Unity and Wwise differ
AttributeUnityWwise
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, WebglWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Consoles
Founded20042000

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Wwise

  • Wwise Authoring
  • Interactive music
  • 3D audio
  • Spatial audio
  • Ambisonics
  • Profiling
  • Plugin architecture
  • SoundSeed

Both cover

  • 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 Wwise
  • Shipping console titles under a Pro or Enterprise licencenot Wwise
  • Real time 3D for manufacturing, automotive and retail visualisationnot Wwise
  • Live operations and in-app purchase management for mobile gamesnot Wwise

Wwise

  • Authoring interactive and adaptive game audio outside the game enginenot Unity
  • Managing large sound banks and per-platform audio buildsnot Unity
  • Profiling runtime audio memory and voice counts on console targetsnot 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

Wwise

  • Tier eligibility is set by production budget: the free Indie plan requires a production budget under $250K
  • A production budget between $250K and $2M requires the Pro plan, starting at $8,000 US
  • A production budget above $2M requires the Premium plan, starting at $27,000 US, or Platinum starting at $52,000 US
  • Licence pricing is per title and per platform rather than a flat studio fee, and the headline figures are starting prices
  • Premium plug-ins and the Wwise DLC licence are optional paid add-ons on Pro and Premium rather than included
  • Source code access is only available with a support package
  • On the free Indie plan there is no paid support option at all, only community Q and A
  • Royalty-free status is optional rather than automatic on the Pro plan

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

Wwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 media assets
    • All features
    • Non-commercial use
  • Commercial$750/platform
    • Unlimited assets
    • Commercial use
    • Priority 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).
Unity review

Choose Wwise if

  • You need wwise authoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Consoles.
  • You also want interactive music.
Wwise review

Questions people ask

Is Unity or Wwise better?
Neither clearly leads. Unity starts at Free and Wwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Unity or Wwise?
Unity starts at Free and Wwise at Free.
Does Unity or Wwise run on more platforms?
Unity runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Webgl. Wwise runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Consoles.
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 Wwise is typically brought in for.
What can Unity do that Wwise cannot?
Unity covers Visual editor, Physics engine (PhysX), Animation system, Particle system. Wwise covers Wwise Authoring, Interactive music, 3D audio, Spatial audio. Both handle Local deployment.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Unity

More on Wwise

Keep looking

Other head to heads