EA app vs GameVault
EA app
ea.com
GameVault
gamevau.ltSide by side
| Figure | EA app | GameVault |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.33/mo | €4.16/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Spec score · Game Launcher Software | 8.7 (#3) | 8.8 (#1) |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 8.2 (#20) | 8.3 (#18) |
| Discord integration | Linking Discord through the EA app adds Rich Presence showing status, game-mode details, party size, and EA membership status. | GameVault+ can publish the current game through Discord Rich Presence. |
| Headquarters | Redwood City, California | Germany |
| Integrations | EA Account linking supports platforms and services including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam, Epic Games, Discord, Twitch, YouTube, Amazon Prime Gaming, and Amazon Luna. | GameVault+ includes Playnite, Steam, and Discord integrations, plus client APIs for integrations. |
| Purpose | The EA app is Electronic Arts’ enhanced platform for playing favorite games on Windows. | GameVault is a self-hostable platform for browsing and playing DRM-free games stored on your file server. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.9 out of 5 from 189 ratings | 1.0 out of 5 from 1 rating. |
| Support | EA directs users with installation issues to its customer support team and provides contact support through EA Help. | For subscription support, the maker directs users to contact the developers through Discord or email at [email protected]. |
| What it does | EA app is Electronic Arts' PC and Mac platform for discovering, downloading and playing EA games. | GameVault is a self-hosted platform for managing, distributing and launching legally owned DRM-free PC games. |
Plans
EA app
- EA Play$5.99 a month
- EA Play$5.99 a month
- EA Play Pro$16.99 a month
- EA Play Pro$16.99 a month
- EA Play$39.99 a year
- EA Play$39.99 a year
- EA Play Pro$119.99 a year
- EA Play Pro$119.99 a year
GameVault
- Flex Plan€4.99 a month
- Family & Friends Plan€8.99 a month
- Smart Saver Plan€49.90 a year
In their own words
EA app
EA app is Electronic Arts’ game platform for Windows and Mac, replacing Origin on those systems. It lets users collect games, see what friends are playing, and find new EA releases. Linking an EA Account with supported platforms can import friends lists and help users play together. The app is required to play EA games on PC launched through Steam or Epic, and logging in requires an EA Account ID and password. It updates automatically at login unless an update launches while the app is already running. Windows requires a 64-bit PC with Windows 10 or 11; Mac requires macOS 10.15.8 or later. Other operating systems are not supported. The app has a free plan; EA Play costs $5.99 a month and EA Play Pro costs $16.99 a month. EA Play includes a game collection, select new-release trials of up to 10 hours, monthly rewards, and a 10% digital-purchase discount. Pro includes premium editions of select new games on day 1, a premium-edition game collection, and the same discount.
GameVault
GameVault is a self-hostable platform for browsing and playing DRM-free games stored on a file server. Its server indexes game files and adds metadata, while clients let users organize, download, install and launch games. The client records playtime and game progress, including offline. Server features include multi-user authentication, role-based access, parental controls, backups and OAuth2 authentication. Users can choose a browser-based Web UI, a legacy Windows app or an early-access desktop client for Windows, Linux and macOS. The browser-only session cannot install or launch games on the user's computer; the full download manager is available in desktop clients. GameVault+ includes Playnite, Steam and Discord integrations, alongside a documented REST API for clients, integrations and library automation. Cloud saves and controller support are listed, while remote play and mod support are not. The maker says it uses encryption and follows GDPR rules. Plans include €4.99/month or €49.90/year for personal subscriptions and €8.99/month for a plan shareable with up to five others. GameVault+ is currently available in the legacy Windows app; cross-platform support is described as coming soon.