Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Allegro VS OpenFrameworks

Compare Allegro VS OpenFrameworks and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Allegro logo Allegro

Allegro 4 and Allegro 5 are cross-platform, libraries mainly aimed at video game and multimedia...

OpenFrameworks logo OpenFrameworks

openFrameworks
  • Allegro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-17
  • OpenFrameworks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

Allegro features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Allegro supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, allowing developers to create applications that work across diverse systems.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Allegro is free to use and modify. This encourages community involvement and ensures continuous improvement and adaptability to user needs.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Allegro offers extensive documentation and numerous tutorials, making it easier for beginners to learn and for seasoned developers to find solutions to specific problems.
  • Strong Community Support
    The library is backed by an active community of developers who contribute to forums and resources, providing assistance and sharing knowledge.
  • Simple API
    Allegro features a straightforward and easy-to-understand API, making it accessible for beginners and allowing for rapid development of 2D games and multimedia applications.

Possible disadvantages of Allegro

  • Limited 3D Support
    Allegro is primarily designed for 2D graphics, and while it can handle basic 3D rendering, it is not as robust or feature-rich as dedicated 3D engines.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Compared to larger game engines, Allegro lacks certain advanced features like complex animation tools and integrated development environments, which may limit its use in high-end game development.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    The ecosystem around Allegro is smaller compared to other well-established frameworks and engines like Unity or Unreal, leading to fewer third-party tools and plugins.
  • Performance Limitations
    While suitable for simple games and applications, Allegro might struggle with performance optimization and efficiency in very resource-intensive or complex projects.
  • Dependency Management
    Setting up Allegro and its dependencies can be challenging for newcomers, requiring familiarity with C/C++ build systems and package managers.

OpenFrameworks features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenFrameworks is open-source, allowing developers to access, modify, and contribute to its codebase. This fosters a community-driven development environment and encourages collaboration.
  • Cross-Platform
    It supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, making it versatile for developing applications across various operating systems.
  • Rich Collection of Add-ons
    OpenFrameworks offers a wide range of add-ons and libraries contributed by the community, which extend the framework's capabilities and provide tools for graphics, sound, video, computer vision, and more.
  • Community Support
    The framework has a robust community that provides support via forums, tutorials, and a wealth of shared projects and code snippets, making it easier to learn and troubleshoot.
  • Artistic and Creative Focus
    OpenFrameworks is particularly well-suited for projects that emphasize creativity and artistic output, making it popular among artists and designers working on interactive installations and media art.

Possible disadvantages of OpenFrameworks

  • Steep Learning Curve
    While OpenFrameworks is powerful, its complexity can be daunting for beginners, especially those without experience in C++ programming.
  • Limited Documentation
    Although there is community support, the official documentation can sometimes be sparse or outdated, which can pose challenges for developers seeking detailed explanations or examples.
  • Performance Overhead
    As an abstraction layer over native OpenGL, OpenFrameworks might introduce performance overhead compared to writing raw OpenGL code, which can be a concern for high-performance applications.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and ensuring compatibility across different platforms can be complex, especially when dealing with various libraries and add-ons.
  • Not Ideal for All Types of Applications
    OpenFrameworks is tailored towards creative coding and may not be the best choice for applications that require extensive GUI features or are more business-logic-oriented.

Allegro videos

A Tiffin You Can Live In! My First Allegro Review!

More videos:

  • Review - IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: 1970s Austin Allegro
  • Review - Williams Allegro 3 Digital Piano Review (First Look) Sounds -Features - Manual

OpenFrameworks videos

Part 2 of GAFFTA OpenFrameworks for Processing Coders

More videos:

  • Tutorial - openFrameworks tutorial - 000 intro to openFrameworks
  • Review - [openframeworks] Box2d study - Burst -

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Allegro and OpenFrameworks)
Game Engine
100 100%
0% 0
3D
0 0%
100% 100
Game Development
100 100%
0% 0
VJ
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Allegro and OpenFrameworks. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFrameworks seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Allegro mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Allegro yet. Tracking of Allegro recommendations started around Mar 2021.

OpenFrameworks mentions (32)

  • Ask HN: Who Are Your Favorite Photography and Generative Coding Artists?
    Zach Lieberman https://x.com/zachlieberman does his work in C++ with https://openframeworks.cc/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Resolume
    Not exactly VJ, but could be used for it. https://openframeworks.cc. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • VVVV – A Hybrid Visual/Textual Development Environment
    - openFrameworks https://openframeworks.cc/ C++. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Valve Says Counter-Strike 2 for macOS Not Happening, There Aren't Enough Players
    Vulkan is sort of a post-API API. It seems to be designed specifically with high performance render pipelines in mind, and "end users" should interface with it through an intermediary layer. Ie, you might prefer bgfx[0], cinder[1] or openframeworks[2]. 0: https://github.com/bkaradzic/bgfx 2: https://openframeworks.cc/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • I'm starting to get tired
    Since you have C# experience, take this time to learn more about C++ while you continue to look. While yes, it is very easy to write bad code, it's not a huge deal since you just graduated and are just hacking around. Plus there are a lot of helpers these days to make writing bad code a little less likely.A former mentor of mine gifted me "C++ Without Fear" by Brian Overland which I can recommend. It's not too... Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Allegro and OpenFrameworks, you can also consider the following products

SFML - SFML provides a simple interface to the various components of your PC, to ease the development of games and multimedia applications. It is composed of five modules: system, window, graphics, audio and network.

Processing - C++ and Java programming at the speed of thought.

raylib - Cross-platform, open-source game development library in C.

TouchDesigner - TouchDesigner is a visual development platform that equips you with the tools you need to create stunning realtime projects and rich user experiences.

SDL - Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide low level...

Vvvv - vvvv is a graphical programming environment for easy prototyping and development.