Nakama vs Sutom

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?
FeatureNakamaSutom
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseApache-2.0MIT
LanguageGo
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB50 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybare-metal
GitHub stars★ 13,121
First released20172023
ReplacesPlayFab, Firebase

Why pick each one

Choose Nakama if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 13.1k GitHub stars
Nakama details

Choose Sutom if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Sutom details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or Sutom better?

Neither is universally better. Nakama has the larger community, while Sutom is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Nakama and Sutom free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Sutom under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and Sutom with Docker?

Nakama: yes. Sutom: check the project docs for container support.

Related comparisons