Defold vs Monaca

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.

Monaca is a cross-platform hybrid mobile app development platform and cloud tool suite built around HTML5, JavaScript, and Apache Cordova. Its browser-based Cloud IDE supports Cordova work without local setup, while Monaca Localkit and the CLI provide local development tools. It supports Angular 1, Angular 2+, React, and Vue.js, and developers can bring another JavaScript framework. Cloud builds and continuous-integration features include hook scripts, custom plugins, and configurable setups. The Debugger provides breakpoints, stepping, and profiling, including iOS and Android debugging on Windows and Mac without installing SDKs. Cordova backend APIs cover push notifications, user management, remote databases, and email delivery. The Free plan costs nothing and includes three projects and three remote builds per 24 hours; corporate use is restricted to non-commercial purposes. PRO costs $22 a month, BUSINESS costs $55 a month plus base usage of $22 a month per team, and ENTERPRISE costs $110 a month plus base usage of $550 a month per organization. Monaca states that transmission uses HTTPS and SSL/TLS, but data is not encrypted at rest.