GDevelop Vs. Unity: Which One Is Best for You?

We love making games. And we love Unity: it's a powerful, versatile tool with near-endless possibilities. There's a reason why they are leaders in the game development industry. But GDevelop has some unique advantages of its own, and today we pit GDevelop Vs. Unity to help you decide which one is best for your project.

You can also see how GDevelop compares to Roblox and GameMaker to help you choose which game engine is best for you.

Ease of Use

This is a very subjective area in a GDevelop Vs. Unity comparison. Unity can be very complex and intimidating for newcomers. It also uses the C# programming language for expanding functionality, which has a steep learning curve.

GDevelop is extremely user-friendly. In fact, GDevelop is a no-code, open-source game-making app you can even run in your browser.

Its innovative Events system makes it easier for people to start creating games even if they've never programmed before. And if a user needs to expand the software, GDevelop uses JavaScript, a very easy-to-learn language that is the standard for web technologies.

You can even make games on the go! GDevelop has Android and iOS apps for iPhone and iPad. So you never have to stop making your dream game a reality.

GDevelop is also faster and more lightweight. There is no 5GB install like there is with Unity, and you don't need 30 minutes to recompile shaders. Previews are almost instant!

As I said before, what is easier for some might be more difficult for others. But GDevelop has been built from the ground up to be accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level.

Export Platforms and Versatility

Depending on which platforms you target and the kind of game you want to make, Unity might pull a tiny bit ahead in the GDevelop Vs. Unity comparison.

Both GDevelop and Unity can make 2D games and export them to iOS, Android, Steam, Windows, Linux, Mac, itch.io, Messenger Gaming, and more. So if that covers the platforms you want to put your game on, you'll need to use other factors to choose which software to use.

Unity does, however, have the added advantage of being able to produce 3D games and export 2D and 3D games to consoles like the Playstation 5 and the Nintendo Switch. However, in order to be able to export to consoles, you need to be approved as a developer by that platform.

So if you want to publish your Unity game on the Switch, you'll first need to apply for approval by Nintendo. And it's the same with Playstation.

If your game is successful, it's still possible to ask a game porting company to use their own technologies and certifications to port your GDevelop games to a console - so it's not a huge problem should your game become massively successful and become the next Among Us.

But GDevelop has an ace up its sleeve: you can publish your game to Liluo.io in less than 1 minute straight from the editor, and games are super lightweight.

Price

As with any comparisons between apps, in this article comparing GDevelop Vs. Unity we must talk about pricing. Both GDevelop and Unity are free to use, depending on your application. In the case of Unity, you can use the engine to its full capacity until you've earned US$100,000 from games made with Unity. If you reach that, then you need to pay a licensing fee.

The licenses start at US$399 per year, per seat for a Plus license, so if it's four of you making a game, you'll need to pay $1,596 per year. There are other licenses too: Pro, which starts at US$1,800 per year per seat, the Industrial Collection, which starts at US$2,520 per year per seat, and the Enterprise license which starts at US$4,000 per month per 20 seats.

GDevelop, on the other hand, is completely free, forever. It doesn't matter how much money you make from your games.

There is, however, the possibility of supporting the project by purchasing one of the Premium subscriptions: Indie for €2 per month, or Pro for €7 per month.

They both allow you to disable and customize the GDevelop splashscreen, and both come with more daily one-click exports:

• Free: you can automatically export twice a day to an Android app and twice a day to Windows/macOS/Linux. You can automatically export to HTML5 locally an unlimited number of times.
• Indie: you can automatically export 10 times a day to an Android app and 10 times a day to Windows/macOS/Linux.
• Pro: you can automatically export 70 times a day to an Android app and 70 times a day to Windows/macOS/Linux.

Those are the only differences between having and not having a subscription. Amazing tools like the Debugger, Live Preview, and more are always free, and always will be. With a subscription, you also help to pay for the hosting, server, and bandwidth costs for the packaging and other online services. Finally, you're also supporting the development of an open-source game engine accessible to everyone!

GDevelop also comes bundled with over 170 examples to get you started straight away, and an asset store full of free assets for you to use in your games, even commercially!

Community and Learning Resources

Unity is more well-known and therefore there are tons of tutorials and courses out there, but it also has a steeper learning curve.

GDevelop is easy to use, so you can start making games straight away. And if you do need help, we do have the GDevelop Academy with plenty of game development tutorials, as well as an incredibly helpful community of fellow creators ready and willing to give you a hand. There's even a full crash course over at the freeCodeCamp YouTube Channel:

GDevelop is also an open-source project, which means you can join countless collaborators who have made GDevelop what it is today. And you'll always be able to ensure the code has no malicious bits in it. Neat, huh?

So, Which One Is Right for You?

In short? It will depend on the type of game you want to make. If you want to make a 3D game or you're trying to get approved as a console developer to publish there, Unity has the lead.

But if you want to make games easily, with no strings attached and no worries about having to pay once you start making a living from your games, GDevelop has you covered. It still provides a ton of export possibilities, and the 2D indie game scene is more alive than ever, particularly with the increase of mobile game adoption.

There's never been a better time to get into game creation and development. We know there are plenty of choices when it comes to what tools to use, and hopefully, this article will help you make the decision that is right for you.

Give GDevelop a try today!