Agones vs shapez.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Agones
Kubernetes-based hosting and scaling for dedicated game servers
VS
shapez.io
Open-source factory-building puzzle game
| Feature | Agones | shapez.io |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,967 | ★ 6,932 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | GameLift | Factorio |
Why pick each one
Choose Agones if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Agones or shapez.io better?
Neither is universally better. Agones has the larger community, while shapez.io is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Agones and shapez.io free and open-source?
Yes. Agones is licensed under Apache-2.0 and shapez.io under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Agones and shapez.io with Docker?
Agones: check the project docs for container support. shapez.io: check the project docs for container support.