BoardGameGeek vs RAWG

BoardGameGeek is a free online resource and community for board game and card game content, available on the web and through official iOS and Android apps. Game entries combine information, user ratings, forums, and related material. Members can browse reviews, images, play aids, translations, session reports, and live discussion forums. They can maintain virtual collections of games they own, play, rate, comment on, or follow, and account holders can log plays from a collection or game entry. The site also includes a Geek Market and game trading between members. Core site access and registered membership are free, and there is no free trial. Annual supporter levels of $15 or more include a supporter icon; levels of $25 or more add ad blocking, a read feed for past subscriptions, and historical gaming trends. BoardGameGeek says it relies on community support and advertisements to cover expenses such as servers, bandwidth, and employees. Users must be at least 18 to have an account.

RAWG is a video game database and discovery service that provides game data, search, and machine-learning recommendations through an API, alongside its web platform. Its API page lists 500,000+ games across 50 platforms, including mobile. Records can include descriptions, genres, release dates, store links, ESRB and Metacritic ratings, playtime, gameplay videos, system requirements, and downloadable content and franchise information. RAWG says similar-game recommendations use computer vision; player activity data includes Steam average playtime and RAWG player counts and ratings. Every API request requires an API key. The Free plan is for non-commercial projects, allows up to 20,000 requests per month, and requires backlinks to RAWG where data is used. Business costs $149 a month and allows commercial use with up to 50,000 monthly requests. Terms permit free commercial use for startups and hobby projects at or below 100,000 monthly active users or 500,000 page views per month; larger projects are directed to request commercial terms. Attribution with an active RAWG hyperlink is required, and resale or redistribution to other businesses is prohibited.