Defold vs Flax Engine
Defold
defold.com
Flax Engine
flaxengine.comSide by side
| Figure | Defold | Flax Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Game Engine Software | 8.9 (#8) | 8.9 (#10) |
| Spec score · Game Development Software | 8.7 (#8) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Console export | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2009 | 2012 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden | Poland |
| Mobile export | Yes | Yes |
| Multiplayer tools | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Defold is an all-in-one game engine for building cross-platform 2D and 3D games. | Flax Engine is a modern 3D game engine written in C++ and C#. |
| Scripting languages | Lua,Teal,C,C++,C#,Objective-C,Java,JavaScript | C#,C++ |
| Source code model | source_available | source_available |
| Support | Defold offers community help through its forum and says technical support contracts are available if needed. | The feature page promises direct communication and help from engine developers, and the site provides a contact form. |
| Target platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,HTML5,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Nintendo Switch | Windows,Linux,Android,iOS,PlayStation 4/5,Xbox One/Series,Nintendo Switch |
Plans
In their own words
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.
Flax Engine
Flax Engine is a 3D game engine written in C++ and C#, with visual scripting and full Editor source code available. It supports C++, C#, and visual scripting, with hot-reloading for both programming languages in the Editor. Rendering features include real-time global illumination, reflections using custom software ray tracing, and GPU lightmap baking. World-building tools cover terrain, foliage, fog, nested prefabs, level streaming, and large-world 64-bit coordinates. Multiplayer projects can use low- and high-level networking APIs. Its Online system supports services such as Steam, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network for profiles, friends, achievements, presence, and cloud saves. Supported targets include Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, web, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and Nintendo Switch. Web support is experimental and lacks C# scripting, video playback, and some other engine features. NDA-protected platform support is excluded from the public repository. The engine is free for non-commercial or educational use; commercial releases pay a 4% royalty on earnings exceeding $250,000 per calendar quarter.