App42 Cloud API vs Crux

App42 Cloud API is a REST-based backend toolkit for developers building applications. It provides JSON and XML interfaces and more than 20 modules with over 400 APIs, including user and session management, storage, recommendations, messaging, gaming, and geospatial services. Analytics cover API calls, storage, installations, user activity, push messages, and custom event funnels; social tracking can include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or App42 Single Sign-On users. Cloud Code lets developers run server-side logic, combine services, create APIs, and schedule code. Gaming features include global and social leaderboards. SDKs are listed for Android, iOS, Windows and other platforms, but downloading them requires email registration. A free plan is available. Medium starts at $85 a month billed yearly and includes 15 Million API Calls, 15 GB bandwidth, 15 GB storage, and 50 leaderboards. Free, Medium, and Large plans list Best Effort uptime; Enterprise lists Committed SLAs. ShepHertz, the maker, was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in India.

Crux provides multiplayer game backend services for player authentication, persistent data, leaderboards, server registration, live configuration, game economies, and matchmaking. Authentication supports email and password, guest sessions, Google, GitHub, and Discord OAuth, as well as Roblox verification. Developers can store player- or project-scoped JSON documents and configure ranked or seasonal leaderboards with recurring resets. Economy tools handle currencies, virtual items, and inventories through atomic, server-authoritative updates. Matchmaking queues players by game mode and region, then assigns them to live servers from the dedicated server registry. The maker lists Unity, Roblox, Godot, and custom game servers as integrations, with client SDKs for JavaScript, Godot, Unity, and Roblox. The hosted API is documented with OpenAPI, and client SDKs are MIT-licensed; the managed backend is proprietary. Crux has a free Dev plan and paid plans from $10.00 per month. Runtime is a capacity-gated closed alpha for Godot 4 Linux dedicated-server exports, with Dev evaluation limited to admitted projects. Crux says it best suits dedicated-server multiplayer survival or co-op games.