Photon Fusion vs Unity
Photon Fusion
photonengine.com
Unity
unity.comSide by side
| Figure | Photon Fusion | Unity |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| 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 | 8 | 8 |
| Spec score · Game Networking Middleware | 8.2 (#9) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Product | Photon Fusion is a state-transfer netcode SDK for multiplayer games made for Unity, Unreal, and Godot. | Unity Engine is game and app development software for creating video games and immersive experiences from CAD and 3D data. |
| Support | All plans include online documentation, free samples, tutorials, video streams, and assistance with account, billing, and service-status issues. | Unity directs users to its Issue Tracker and Editor bug reporting flow, while Pro includes expedited customer support and Enterprise includes dedicated support. |
Plans
Photon Fusion
- Development Only 20 CCUFree
- Free 100 CCUFree
- Premium Cloud$0.50 a month
- 100 CCU$95, paid once
- 500 CCU$125 a month
- 1000 CCU$250 a month
- 2000 CCU$500 a month
- Enterprise CloudPriced on request
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
Photon Fusion
Photon Fusion is a state-transfer netcode SDK for multiplayer games made with Unity, Unreal, and Godot. Its tick-based simulation supports client-side prediction and snapshot interpolation, while lag compensation addresses the delay between a client firing and the server registering a possible hit. Developers can choose full-consistency replication or eventual-consistency replication, which uses less bandwidth per object. Available network topologies include dedicated server, client host, and shared authority. Engine availability has qualifications: the product page lists all three engines, while documentation marks Unreal as early access and says Godot early access is available by contacting Photon. Dedicated-server use is described as a headless Unity build and requires third-party server orchestration at additional cost. Free plans include a 100-CCU option and a development-only option for 20 concurrent users. A one-time 100-CCU plan costs 95.00 USD for 12 months; monthly plans include 125.00 USD for 500 CCU. Premium Cloud is billed at 0.50 USD per CCU per month, with a 1,000 USD monthly minimum. All plans include online documentation, samples, tutorials, video streams, and help with account, billing, and service-status issues.