Netick vs Photon Realtime
Netick
netick.net
Photon Realtime
photonengine.comSide by side
| Figure | Netick | Photon Realtime |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.29/mo |
| 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 |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Game Networking Middleware | 7.9 (#17) | 8.9 (#2) |
| Integrations | The official Unity Transport integration supports UDP, WebSocket, Unity Relay, and cross-platform connectivity between WebGL and native clients. | The documented Realtime SDK variants are for Unity and .NET, and Photon’s SDK downloads also include JavaScript and native platform packages. |
| Product | Netick is a free, server-authoritative, state-sync networking solution for Unity. | Photon Realtime is a cloud-hosted networking service for building cross-platform real-time multiplayer games. |
| Security | The Unity Transport integration offers optional TLS encryption for WebSocket and DTLS encryption for UDP. | Photon Engine states that it is ISO 27001:2022 certified and aligned with GDPR and CCPA; it says Photon Cloud does not store personally identifiable information. |
| Support | The documentation directs users with questions or requests to the Netick Discord community and offers custom engine integration by email. | Photon offers public Discord, email contact and an authenticated support form. |
Plans
Photon Realtime
- 20 CCU Development OnlyFree
- Development Only — 20 CCUFree
- Premium Cloud$0.29 a month
- 100 CCU$95, paid once
- 500 CCU$95 a month
- 1000 CCU$185 a month
- 2000 CCU$370 a month
- Enterprise CloudPriced on request
In their own words
Netick
Netick is a free networking solution for building server-authoritative, state-sync multiplayer games in Unity. It uses tick-aligned simulation, snapshot interpolation, delta compression and an abstract transport layer. Client-side prediction combines prediction and reconciliation while keeping the server authoritative, and a built-in replay system can record full games. Developers can run clients and multiple servers within one Unity project and instance. Netick says it adapts to poor network conditions to maintain smooth gameplay. Interest Management and Lag Compensation are listed as Pro features; they can reduce server load and bandwidth, help prevent wallhacks, and support authoritative hit detection. LiteNetLib is the default transport. Official integrations add Unity Transport options such as UDP, WebSocket and Unity Relay, while the EOS transport provides relays, lobbies, NAT punchthrough and relay fallback. The free plan is free. Installation requires Unity Editor 2021 or later and Unity Package Manager using a Git URL. Supported platforms depend on transport.
Photon Realtime
Photon Realtime has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.