Cocos Creator vs Defold

Cocos Creator is an open-source, cross-platform graphics engine and real-time 3D content-creation platform for 2D and 3D games and other interactive content. Its editor targets artists, game planners, and developers, and includes a plug-in system, animation editor, and visual scripting. JavaScript and TypeScript are supported, with TypeScript described as easy to use and debug. Projects can publish to the web and deploy natively to Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows. Native projects can be opened in Xcode, Android Studio, or Visual Studio for compiling, running, debugging, and publishing; some publishing options depend on the corresponding operating system. Extensions are available through Dashboard or the Cocos Store, or can be packaged and shared. Native builds can encrypt scripts into .jsc files and compress them. The editor and runtime are available at no charge, with official documentation, API references, tutorials, forums, and technical consultation listed.

Defold is a game engine for building cross-platform 2D and 3D games. Its toolchain combines an editor, runtime, scripting workflow, build pipeline, and deployment flow. Game logic is written in Lua; native extensions can use C, C++, Objective-C, Java, or JavaScript. Visual editors, a debugger, profiler, particle effects, animation, and integrated 2D and 3D physics are included. Target platforms listed are Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, HTML5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. Integrations include Firebase Analytics, AdMob, in-app purchases, push notifications, Google Play services, Nakama, and PlayFab. The Asset Portal offers reusable components and extensions. Live Update can provide additional game content after the initial download, with customizable content verification. Source code for the engine, editor, and build tools is available on GitHub under a developer-friendly license derived from Apache 2.0. Defold costs nothing, with no licensing fees, royalties, or runtime fees. Community help is available through a forum, and technical support contracts are available if needed.