Flax Engine vs Ren'Py
Flax Engine
flaxengine.com
Ren'Py
renpy.orgSide by side
| Figure | Flax Engine | Ren'Py |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Engine Software | 8.9 (#10) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Development Software | 8.8 (#7) | 8.5 (#17) |
| Founded | 2012 | 2004 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Launcher | The Flax Launcher can install and manage multiple engine versions, including daily builds from the GitHub master branch. | The launcher creates, manages, edits and runs Ren'Py projects. |
| Mobile export | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting | It provides seamless C++, C# and Visual Scripting, plus hot-reloading of C# and C++ in the Editor. | Its script language supports writing visual novels, and Python scripting supports complex game logic. |
| Scripting languages | C#,C++ | Ren'Py script language; Python |
| Source code model | source_available | open_source |
| Support | The feature page promises direct communication and help from engine developers, and the site provides a contact form. | Ren'Py directs users to its Discord and Lemma Soft Forums for questions, and to GitHub for bug reports. |
| Target platforms | Windows,Linux,Android,iOS,PlayStation 4/5,Xbox One/Series,Nintendo Switch | Windows 10+,macOS 10.10+,Linux x86_64/Arm,Android 5.0+,iOS 11+,HTML5/WebAssembly (beta) |
| Web limitation | Web support is experimental and does not yet implement C# scripting, video playback or some other engine features. | The web port lacks threading and arbitrary networking, and browser audio, video, cache and hosting limits can affect games. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
Ren'Py
Ren'Py is a free visual novel engine for making interactive stories and life simulation games with words, images, and sounds. Its script language handles visual-novel writing, while Python can be used for more complex game logic. Default games include menus, automatic saves, rollback, predictive image loading, and mouse, keyboard, or gamepad controls. Creators can customize screens and styles using the screen language and Python. The launcher builds Windows, Mac, and Linux games from any of those desktop systems. Ren'Py also supports Android export and can package games for WebAssembly browsers, though web support is beta and lacks networking and multithreading. It targets Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.10 or later, Linux x86_64 or Arm, Android 5.0 or later, and iOS 11 or later. Building for iOS requires a Mac and Xcode, and that support remains a work in progress. The engine is free for commercial and non-commercial use; most is MIT-licensed, with some LGPL components whose terms distributors must meet.