Beamable vs PlayFab
Beamable
beamable.comPlayFab
developer.microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | Beamable | PlayFab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $125/mo | $99/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 5 |
| Spec score · Game Leaderboard Software | 8.6 (#11) | 8.9 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Backend Services | 8.5 (#10) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · Game LiveOps Software | 8.5 (#14) | 8.9 (#6) |
| Intended users | Beamable is aimed at game makers and studios building and operating live games, including multiplayer and Web3 titles. | Microsoft describes PlayFab as serving game developers, from indie titles to AAA franchises. |
| Product | Beamable is an open, extensible game server platform for creating online games and virtual worlds. | PlayFab provides backend services for live games and connects players across platforms. |
| Security | The homepage describes built-in cloud hosting, security, and scalability, but the pages reviewed do not specify certifications or compliance standards. | Microsoft says developer sign-in migration adds MFA, conditional access, encryption and single sign-on through Microsoft accounts. |
| Support | The trial includes self-service support through documentation, a QA forum, and Discord; enterprise plans list dedicated support, private channels, and weekly syncs. | PlayFab describes ticketed support and 24/7 emergency escalations, with real-time service health at status.playfab.com. |
Plans
Beamable
- Free Trial (90 Days)Free
- Developer$125 a month
- Studio$595 a month
- Pro$1,895 a month
- Enterprise$3,500 a month
- Enterprise PlansPriced on request
PlayFab
- Free to StartFree
- Standard Plan$99 a month
- Premium Plan$1,999 a month
- Enterprise PlanPriced on request
- Pay-as-you-goFree
In their own words
Beamable
Beamable is a game server platform for creating and operating online games and virtual worlds. Its engine-native SDKs for Unity and Unreal connect to a serverless backend for cloud code, data persistence, custom gameplay logic, and Mongo-based persistence. The SDK includes player accounts, multiplayer networking, matchmaking, offers, currencies, inventory, leaderboards, groups, achievements, chat, tournaments, and multiplayer events. The LiveOps Portal supports events, promotions, content updates, A/B tests, player support, CRM, and messaging. Beamable describes built-in analytics and event forwarding integrations with GameAnalytics, Mixpanel, and Amplitude; its marketplace lists services including Edgegap, Photon Fusion, Tebex, and blockchain integrations. Studios can use managed SaaS or private cloud, both powered by AWS. Private Cloud offers dedicated single-tenant infrastructure. A 90-day free trial includes 12.5M API calls, 1,000 MAU, and three microservices. Paid monthly plans start at $125 a month for Developer. Pricing specifies a 10KB bandwidth allowance per API call, with additional bandwidth billed as overage.
PlayFab
PlayFab provides managed backend services for live games and connects players across platforms. Its player services include identity, groups, friends, chat, profiles, stats, game saves and shared data, alongside competitive leaderboards and multiplayer networking. Live-operations tools support remote gameplay tuning, real-time player segmentation and A/B testing. Economy and user-generated-content tools cover virtual economies, live offers, monetization and built-in moderation. Game Data Stream can monitor player activity, analyze retention and revenue, and export raw data. The product lists Unreal and Unity SDKs, custom-engine language support, and integrations including Xbox, Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, App Store and Google Play. Development Mode is free and permits up to 1,000 lifetime player account creations per title, with up to 10 titles per account. Free to Start costs nothing. Standard Plan costs $99 a month; Premium Plan costs $1,999 a month.