Aleph One vs Retrom
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game engines & frameworks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Aleph One
Open-source engine for the Marathon trilogy with multiplayer
VS
Retrom
Self-hosted game library server with launcher clients
| Feature | Aleph One | Retrom |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Engines & Frameworks | Game Engines & Frameworks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 808 | ★ 2,032 |
| First released | 2000 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Marathon original | Playnite, Steam library |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Aleph One or Retrom better?
Neither is universally better. Retrom has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Aleph One and Retrom free and open-source?
Yes. Aleph One is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Retrom under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aleph One and Retrom with Docker?
Aleph One: check the project docs for container support. Retrom: yes.