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Ren'Py vs RPG Maker

Ren'Py

renpy.org

RPG Maker

rpgmakerweb.com

Side by side

FigureRen'PyRPG Maker
Price fromFree$79.99/mo
Free planYes—
Free trial——
Open sourceYes—
WebYesYes
WindowsYesYes
macOSYesYes
LinuxYes—
iOSYes—
AndroidYes—
APIYes—
Plans published11
Spec score · Game Engine Software9.0 (#6)7.5 (#79)
Spec score · Game Development Software8.5 (#17)7.0 (#42)
Free planYesNo
Mobile exportYesNo
Scripting languagesRen'Py script language; PythonJavaScript
Source code modelopen_sourcesource_available
Target platformsWindows 10+,macOS 10.10+,Linux x86_64/Arm,Android 5.0+,iOS 11+,HTML5/WebAssembly (beta)Windows,macOS,web browsers

Plans

Ren'Py

  • Ren'PyFree

Ren'Py pricing →

RPG Maker

  • RPG Maker MZ$79.99 a month

RPG Maker pricing →

In their own words

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.

Visit renpy.org

RPG Maker

RPG Maker has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit rpgmakerweb.com