ct.js vs Retroarch Web Player
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?
ct.js
Free 2D game editor with a visual interface and code
VS
Retroarch Web Player
Emulate videogames system and play videogames through your web browser
| Feature | ct.js | Retroarch Web Player |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Engines & Frameworks | Game Engines & Frameworks |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 331 | ★ 13,480 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | GameMaker Studio | — |
Why pick each one
Choose ct.js if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Retroarch Web Player if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license
- Mature project with 13.5k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ct.js or Retroarch Web Player better?
Neither is universally better. Retroarch Web Player has the larger community, while ct.js is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ct.js and Retroarch Web Player free and open-source?
Yes. ct.js is licensed under MIT and Retroarch Web Player under GPL-3.0-or-later. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ct.js and Retroarch Web Player with Docker?
ct.js: check the project docs for container support. Retroarch Web Player: check the project docs for container support.