Phaser vs Solarus
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?
Phaser
Fast HTML5 game framework for browser games you host yourself
VS
Solarus
Open-source 2D action-RPG game engine
| Feature | Phaser | Solarus |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Engines & Frameworks | Game Engines & Frameworks |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 40,098 | ★ 730 |
| First released | 2013 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Construct, GameMaker | RPG Maker |
Why pick each one
Choose Solarus if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Phaser or Solarus better?
Neither is universally better. Phaser has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Phaser and Solarus free and open-source?
Yes. Phaser is licensed under MIT and Solarus under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phaser and Solarus with Docker?
Phaser: check the project docs for container support. Solarus: check the project docs for container support.