{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "defold",
            "name": "Defold",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://defold.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/defold",
            "tagline": "Free game engine with Lua scripting and a small runtime footprint",
            "summary": "Defold is a free 2D and 3D game engine from the Defold Foundation, scripted in Lua and built for publishing to desktop, mobile, web and console platforms. Its source is available, and the Defold License allows you to sell the games you make with it.",
            "developer": "Defold Foundation",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "linux"
            ],
            "pricing": "free",
            "price_note": "Free forever with no runtime fees; source available under the Defold License",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Free forever with no runtime fees",
                "Small engine footprint with Live Update support",
                "Publishes to consoles, Steam and web from one project"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Game logic uses Lua, which limits the choice of languages",
                "Modified editor or engine builds cannot be sold"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Defold combines a small engine with an editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. Game logic is written in Lua, native extensions can be added, and hot reload and a profiler speed up iteration. The publishing list on the vendor's site includes PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Steam, Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and HTML5.\n\nDefold is free forever with no runtime fees, and its source code is published under the Defold License. That license is derived from Apache 2.0 but limits commercial use of the editor and engine: you may sell games and tools built with Defold, but you may not sell original or modified copies of the editor or engine itself. Teams that want a light engine and Lua will find it a direct alternative to GameMaker and Godot for 2D work."
        },
        {
            "slug": "unreal-engine",
            "name": "Unreal Engine",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.unrealengine.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/unreal-engine",
            "tagline": "Epic Games' real-time 3D engine for games, film and visualization",
            "summary": "Unreal Engine is a real-time 3D creation suite from Epic Games, used for games, film and television, architecture, automotive visualization and training. It is free for products under $1 million in gross revenue, and larger products pay a royalty or seat fee.",
            "developer": "Epic Games",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "linux"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free under $1M gross revenue; 5% royalty on lifetime revenue above $1M",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Free under $1M gross revenue with source code access",
                "Royalty-free sales on the Epic Games Store",
                "Used for film, television and broadcast work as well as games"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "5% royalty on product revenue above $1 million",
                "Editor needs an RTX 2080-class GPU and up to 32 GB RAM on Linux"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Unreal Engine is a 3D engine and editor with tools for games and other real-time applications, including linear film and television, broadcast and simulation work. The editor runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Epic says its free license includes all platforms and features along with access to the source code.\n\nLicensing depends on revenue. Below $1 million in gross product revenue the engine is free. Above that, a game or application that ships engine code to third parties pays a royalty of 5% on lifetime gross revenue directly attributable to the product, and Epic says sales through the Epic Games Store are royalty-free. Larger commercial users that do not ship engine code to third parties buy per-seat licenses instead. This royalty model differs from Unity's subscription tiers."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Defold: free. Unreal Engine: free plan, paid upgrades."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "game-engines",
            "name": "Game engines",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/game-engines",
            "of": 12,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "defold",
                    "rank": 4,
                    "score": 89.5,
                    "verdict": "Free forever with no runtime fees and a small footprint, but the source-available license bars selling modified editor or engine builds. Game logic is written in Lua, which narrows the choice.",
                    "best_for": "Small Lua-based games that ship to many platforms",
                    "spec": {
                        "language": "Lua",
                        "three_d": true,
                        "workflow": "Editor and code"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "unreal-engine",
                    "rank": 3,
                    "score": 91.5,
                    "verdict": "Free under $1 million in revenue with source access and strong high-end 3D. Above that, a 5% royalty applies, unlike the royalty-free Godot and Defold licenses.",
                    "best_for": "High-end 3D games and real-time film work",
                    "spec": {
                        "language": "C++ and Blueprints",
                        "three_d": true,
                        "workflow": "Editor and code"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "unreal-engine",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/defold-vs-unreal-engine",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/defold-vs-unreal-engine.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}