OpenAL Soft vs Unity
OpenAL Soft
openal-soft.org
Unity
unity.comSide by side
| Figure | OpenAL Soft | Unity |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Game Audio Middleware | 7.8 (#13) | 8.6 (#2) |
| Integrations | The site says loopback devices can be used for playback to interface with other audio systems. | Unity Integrations connect Cloud Build, Cloud Diagnostics and Collaborate with webhooks, Discord, Slack and email. |
| Latest release | The site identifies version 1.25.2 as the latest release and provides it in source form and as Win32 and Win64 binaries. | Unity’s product page identifies Unity 6.0 as the latest long-term supported release. |
| Security | The opened official page does not state security certifications or compliance claims. | Unity says it regularly tests its services and securely stores and separates user assets; it also operates a responsible disclosure and bug bounty program. |
| Support | The project directs users to its GitHub issue tracker for bugs and feature requests and to the #openal IRC channel for help. | Unity directs users to its Issue Tracker and Editor bug reporting flow, while Pro includes expedited customer support and Enterprise includes dedicated support. |
Plans
Unity
- Free tierFree
- Pay-as-you-goPrice not published
- Pay-as-you-goPriced on request
- Unity PersonalFree
- Unity Pro$210 a month
- Unity Pro$2,310 a year
- Unity EnterprisePriced on request
- Unity IndustryPriced on request
In their own words
OpenAL Soft
OpenAL Soft is a free, LGPL-licensed software implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API for playing sound in virtual 3D environments. It handles distance attenuation, Doppler shift, and directional emitters. The EFX extension adds effects such as air absorption, occlusion, and environmental reverb. The library supports streaming audio, multichannel buffers, and audio capture, with output options including mono, stereo, 4-channel, 5.1, 7.1, HRTF, UHJ, and B-Format. Implemented audio backends include PipeWire, PulseAudio, ALSA, WASAPI, CoreAudio, JACK, SDL2, and SDL3. Developers can use loopback devices to connect playback with other audio systems and incorporate the library into projects. The latest release identified on the site is version 1.25.2, available as source and Win32 and Win64 binaries. Building requires CMake 3.13 or newer and a compiler supporting C++20; Autotools is not supported. Runtime platforms listed are Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. The project directs bug reports and feature requests to its GitHub issue tracker and points users to the #openal IRC channel for help.