Codename One vs Defold
Codename One
codenameone.comDefold
defold.comSide by side
| Figure | Codename One | Defold |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Mobile Development IDEs | 9.3 (#1) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Founded | 2012 | 2009 |
| Integrations | The documented sign-in stack covers OpenID Connect, Sign in with Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft Entra ID, Auth0, and Firebase Authentication. | Officially supported integrations include Firebase Analytics, AdMob, in-app purchases, push notifications, Google Play services, and game backends such as Nakama and PlayFab. |
| Product | Codename One is an open-source cross-platform framework for Java and Kotlin developers to build native apps from a shared codebase. | Defold is an all-in-one game engine for building cross-platform 2D and 3D games. |
| Support | The Free plan includes community support, Pro includes email support, and Enterprise includes phone support during office hours. | Defold offers community help through its forum and says technical support contracts are available if needed. |
Plans
Codename One
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Basic$25 a month
- Pro$85 a month
- Basic$300 a year
- Enterprise$450 a month
- Pro$1,020 a year
- Enterprise$5,400 a year
In their own words
Codename One
Codename One is an open-source framework for Java and Kotlin developers building apps from one codebase for Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, Windows, and web browsers. Its toolkit renders its own interface components and bundles the runtime and theme with each app. Developers can access platform SDKs through native interfaces and embed heavyweight views, including maps, web views, and camera surfaces. Projects use Maven and work in Maven-capable IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA, NetBeans, Eclipse, and VS Code. The documented security tools include secure storage, encryption, certificate pinning, device integrity checks, and cryptographic APIs; App Shield adds short-lived attestation tokens on Enterprise. The Free plan provides 100 cloud build credits monthly, with iOS builds using eight credits, and an 8.5 MB user JAR limit. Commercial use carries no royalties or per-app fees. Pricing lists a free plan, paid plans from $25/user/mo billed annually, and a 14-day trial. Platforms also list watchOS and tvOS among mobile targets.
Defold
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.