Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GDevelop VS Pixen

Compare GDevelop VS Pixen and see what are their differences

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GDevelop logo GDevelop

GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.

Pixen logo Pixen

Pixen is a professional pixel art editor designed for working with low-resolution raster art, such as those 8-bit sprites found in old-school video games.
  • GDevelop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23
  • Pixen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-25

GDevelop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GDevelop provides a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for beginners who don't have prior coding experience.
  • Cross-Platform Export
    Games created with GDevelop can be exported to multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.
  • Free and Open Source
    GDevelop is completely free and its source code is open for anyone to modify and improve.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The platform provides a wide range of tutorials, examples, and thorough documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and utilize the tool.
  • Vibrant Community
    An active community forum and resources are available, providing support and opportunities for collaboration.
  • No-Code Solution
    GDevelop allows game creation without any coding, making it highly suitable for rapid prototyping and educational purposes.

Possible disadvantages of GDevelop

  • Performance Limitations
    The engine may struggle with performance issues for more complex games, especially those with high-end graphics and intensive computations.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While suitable for 2D game development, GDevelop lacks advanced features found in other engines, potentially limiting more experienced developers.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Usage
    Although easy for beginners, mastering the platform for more complex projects can have a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Integration
    Integration with third-party tools and services is not as extensive as in some other, more established game development engines.
  • Project Collaboration
    Collaborative features are relatively basic, potentially making it less ideal for larger, team-based projects.
  • 2D Only
    GDevelop focuses exclusively on 2D game development, which can be a downside for those looking to develop 3D games.

Pixen features and specs

  • User Interface
    Pixen offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for both beginners and experienced artists to create pixel art.
  • Animation Support
    The app includes robust tools for creating and managing animations, allowing users to create complex pixel art animations with ease.
  • Layer Management
    Pixen provides comprehensive layer management features that help organize artwork, making it easier to edit and keep track of different elements.
  • Tile & Grid Tools
    It supports tile and grid tools that are particularly useful for game developers who are working on tiled environments.
  • Color Palettes
    Pixen comes with customizable color palettes, allowing users to save and reuse specific colors, which is essential for maintaining consistency in pixel art.

Possible disadvantages of Pixen

  • Mac-Only
    Pixen is only available for macOS, limiting its accessibility to users who operate on Windows or Linux systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its intuitive interface, some users might find the array of features overwhelming at first and require some time to get fully accustomed to all its functionalities.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported occasional performance issues, such as lag or crashes, especially when working with very large files or complex animations.
  • Limited Brush Customization
    Unlike some other graphic editing software, Pixen has limited brush customization options, which might be a drawback for artists looking for more advanced drawing tools.
  • Paid Software
    Pixen is not free; users have to purchase the software, which might be a consideration for those who are looking for free alternatives.

Analysis of GDevelop

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GDevelop is generally considered a good option for game development, especially for beginners.

Why this product is good

  • GDevelop is an open-source game development platform that provides an easy-to-use interface and a variety of features that allow for the creation of both 2D and 3D games without needing extensive programming knowledge. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, a robust set of pre-built behaviors, and extensive documentation and tutorials, making it accessible to new developers. Additionally, being free and supported by a community of developers, it constantly evolves with updates and new features.

Recommended for

  • Beginners who want to learn game development without extensive coding.
  • Independent developers looking for a free, open-source tool.
  • Educators teaching game development due to its user-friendly interface and ease of use.
  • Developers interested in rapid prototyping of game ideas.

Analysis of Pixen

Overall verdict

  • Pixen is considered a good choice for those invested in creating pixel art due to its dedicated features and ease of use. While it may not cover broader art requirements like other comprehensive graphic design software, it excels in its niche.

Why this product is good

  • Pixen is a pixel art editor designed specifically for working with low-resolution raster images, typically used in video games and digital art. It offers features like a customizable grid, layers, patterns, frame-by-frame animations, and palette management, making it an ideal tool for artists focusing on pixel art. Its user-friendly interface and specialized tools cater to both novices and experienced artists in the pixel art community.

Recommended for

  • Pixel artists creating low-resolution artwork
  • Game developers in need of a tool for sprite design
  • Artists who prefer a tool focused specifically on pixel art
  • Individuals interested in frame-by-frame animation for pixel graphics

GDevelop videos

GDevelop 5 -- Ultimate Beginner Game Engine?

More videos:

  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2019 )
  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2020 )
  • Tutorial - Beginner Multiplayer Tutorial

Pixen videos

Mac App Review: Pixen, The Ultimate Pixel Art Design Studio!

More videos:

  • Review - Double Din Android Based Audio Unit Pixen Review
  • Review - Pixen - Instant Video Meetings App (More than zoom)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GDevelop and Pixen)
Game Development
100 100%
0% 0
Graphic Design Software
0 0%
100% 100
Game Engine
100 100%
0% 0
Art Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GDevelop and Pixen. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GDevelop and Pixen

GDevelop Reviews

  1. kio
    ยท none at none ยท

    awesome, but contains some bugs like frezees or editor view crash

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Godot Engine
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Easy to use|Easy user interface|Easy to setup|Open-source|Anyone can upload
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Bugs|Freezes|Slow on android device|Paid plans|Little slow

16 Scratch Alternatives
Beginners who donโ€™t have any programming skills but still want to create some games can quickly access one of the best platforms based on the open source network to help them develop games named the GDevelop. This platform lets users release their creative skills to quickly build games, such as puzzles, shoot-em-ups, strategy, racing, adventure, and more. It can even permit...
20 Best Scratch Alternatives 2023
GDevelop is described as a โ€œfree and easy game-making app.โ€ Itโ€™s similar to Scratch in that itโ€™s a no-code platform; it doesnโ€™t require using programming languages. GDevelop is also free and open source.
Trending 10 BEST Video Game Design & Development Software 2021
Open-source free software, GDevelop allows developers to make games without programming skills. It allows you to create objects for games such as sprites, text objects, video objects, and custom shapes.
Best Game Engines for Linux in 2021
Construct 3 is free with limits. After that, you have to sign up for a monthly subscription. If you can not afford to pay for it, you can use GDevelop, an alternative to Construct 3 for Linux.
Source: kerneltips.com
Trending 7 Best Game Development Software 2021
GDevelop is the best game making software for beginners & professionals. GDevelop provides you easy and simplistic interface, which most developers like in GDevelop.
Source: vilesolid.com

Pixen Reviews

We have no reviews of Pixen yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GDevelop seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 78 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.

GDevelop mentions (78)

  • No-Code Game Development: Using AI to Build Your First Game
    GDevelop combines open-source flexibility with powerful no-code features. Their recent AI plugins provide remarkable capabilities:. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Platform for 11 year old to create video games?
    Humble Bundle has a Godot bundle is available for the next day or so. That might be a good one to look at if you're ok with leaning into code a bit (gdscript is very very similar to python). https://www.humblebundle.com/software/learn-godot-43-complete-course-bundle-software Also check out the RPG Maker bundle. That's pretty point-and-click. You can have something basic up and running in a couple minutes... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Exploring Raylib and Open Source
    I selected this library as I normally use much higher-level tools to develop games such as p5.js, or GDevelop. Both these tools are amazing in their own right; however, I want to learn how these processes operate on a much lower level. These tools take care of a lot of issues for you ranging from asset to memory management. Raylib is still cross-platform but does not handle these tasks for the programmer which I... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Unityโ€™s New Pricing: A Wake-Up Call on the Importance of Open Source in Gaming
    It's not as monolithic as you'd think. There are lots of engines out there but their communities aren't very vocal compared to Unity, Unreal, and especially Godot's community. Take a look at: https://itch.io/game-development/engines/most-projects And https://www.gamedeveloper.com/blogs/the-generous-space-of-alternative-game-engines-a-curation- If you look at both of these you'll see just how many engines there are... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Favorite Game Engine?
    I'm not really a game maker, but would like to give a shout out to the fabulous https://gdevelop.io/ It has everything you need, is free and its VISUAL PROGRAMMING is fab... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
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Pixen mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GDevelop and Pixen, you can also consider the following products

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

Aseprite - Aseprite is an art program dedicated to the creation of pixel art.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

Piskel - Piskel is a website where designers online create sprites or pixel art.

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Grafx2 - GrafX2 is a bitmap paint program inspired by the Amiga programs Deluxe Paint and Brilliance.