Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pyxel VS Unity

Compare Pyxel VS Unity and see what are their differences

Pyxel logo Pyxel

Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

Unity logo Unity

The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.
  • Pyxel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • Unity Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

Pyxel features and specs

  • Simple API
    Pyxel offers an uncomplicated and straightforward API, which makes it easy for beginners to start creating games without getting bogged down by complex configurations and setups.
  • Cross-Platform
    Pyxel is designed to be cross-platform, functioning seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create and distribute games across multiple platforms with ease.
  • Lightweight
    With a focus on minimalism, Pyxel is lightweight which ensures that it runs efficiently on most hardware, making it suitable for projects where resource consumption is a concern.
  • Pixel Art Focus
    The library is tailored for creating pixel art games, offering features and tools that specifically cater to the needs of pixel art creation and manipulation.
  • No Installation Required
    As a self-contained application, Pyxel doesn't require installation, allowing developers to quickly run it directly after download and start working on their game projects without additional setup steps.

Possible disadvantages of Pyxel

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Pyxel's simplicity can be a downside for experienced developers looking for advanced game development features or functionalities, as it lacks the depth found in more complex game engines.
  • 2D Only
    As a library focused on 2D pixel art games, Pyxel does not support 3D game development, limiting developers who are interested in creating anything beyond the 2D space.
  • Performance Limitations
    Because of its lightweight nature and simplicity, Pyxel might struggle with performance when developing resource-intensive games compared to more robust game engines.
  • Limited Community and Resources
    Pyxel has a smaller user base and community compared to larger game engines, which results in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available for learning and problem-solving.

Unity features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Unity supports development for a wide range of platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and many others, allowing developers to reach a broad audience.
  • Extensive Asset Store
    Unity's Asset Store offers a huge selection of assets, plugins, and tools created by other developers, which can save significant development time and resources.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The Unity Editor is known for its user-friendly and intuitive interface that is accessible even for beginners, while offering advanced features for seasoned developers.
  • Strong Community Support
    Unity boasts a large and active community, as well as extensive documentation and tutorials, making it easier to find solutions to development challenges.
  • Versatile for Various Applications
    Unity is not only suitable for game development but is also used in other industries such as film, automotive, architecture, and virtual reality projects.
  • Real-time Development and Testing
    Unity provides robust tools for real-time testing and iteration which allow developers to see changes instantly without needing to rebuild the project.
  • Proven Performance and Optimization Tools
    Unity offers a variety of performance profiling and optimization tools, helping developers to create highly optimized and smooth-running applications.

Possible disadvantages of Unity

  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic use of Unity is accessible, mastering its advanced features and achieving high levels of performance optimization can be quite challenging.
  • Subscription Costs
    Unity offers a subscription-based pricing model for advanced features, which might be expensive for smaller developers or hobbyists.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Tools
    Reliance on third-party assets and plugins from the Asset Store can sometimes lead to compatibility issues or added costs.
  • Performance Overhead
    Although Unity is highly optimized, it can introduce some performance overhead compared to lower-level programming, particularly for very high-end, resource-intensive projects.
  • Large Build Sizes
    Unity applications can result in relatively large build sizes, which can be a concern for mobile platforms or situations where storage is a limitation.
  • Closed Source
    Unlike some other engines, Unity is closed-source, limiting developers' ability to deeply customize or troubleshoot engine issues at the source code level.
  • Memory Management
    Unity's automated memory management through garbage collection can sometimes result in performance hitches if not carefully managed.

Pyxel videos

Aseprite vs Pyxel Edit - Pixel Art Animation & Tile Tool Comparison

Unity videos

Assassin's Creed Unity Review

More videos:

  • Review - Assassin's Creed Unity - Review
  • Review - SHOULD YOU USE UNITY IN 2019?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pyxel and Unity)
Game Engine
6 6%
94% 94
Game Development
5 5%
95% 95
Graph Databases
100 100%
0% 0
3D Game Engine
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Pyxel Reviews

We have no reviews of Pyxel yet.
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Unity Reviews

  1. Good

    This is such a wonderful abd helpful game-making platform,even for the beginners. And i know and I've played in the several games ,for example,which were made so thoroughly and carefully and also simply by using “UNITY” . So the game quality is just a matter of the programmer's skill,i think.


Godot Engine vs Unity: Which One Suits You Best in 2024
3D performance: For Godot vs Unity 3d, Unity typically leads. Unity's advanced rendering techniques and powerful optimization tools allow for high-fidelity graphics and smooth gameplay in complex 3D environments. This makes Unity the preferred choice for high-end 3D games and VR/AR applications.
Source: rocketbrush.com
Top 13 Picks for Maxon Cinema 4D Alternatives in 2024
Originally launched in 2005, Unity is a robust game development engine, highly regarded for facilitating the creation of intricately designed 3D and 2D games. Unity’s adaptability across different operating systems facilitates a myriad of applications, from Augmented Reality to 3D simulations.
Source: aircada.com
Explore 9 Top Eclipse Alternatives for 2024
Established in 2005, Unity serves as a powerful engine for 3D and 2D game development. Renowned for its adaptability across numerous operating systems, Unity’s premier platform facilitates everything from Augmented Reality to 3D simulations.
Source: aircada.com
Game Engines: A Comparative Analysis
Additional Options: Unity also supports JavaScript (UnityScript) and Boo, but C# has become the standard and most widely used language for Unity development.
Source: medium.com
Exploring 15 Powerful Flutter Alternatives
With its gaming-oriented pedigree, Unity delivers unmatched capabilities for rich interactive apps leveraging physics, particle systems, and complex animations in 2D and 3D spaces. For architects and designers wanting to bring CAD models to life or showcase real estate properties in full immersive detail, Unity shines. Medical imaging apps also benefit from performant...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Unity should be more popular than Pyxel. It has been mentiond 204 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.

Pyxel mentions (28)

  • A (not so) small library for terminal based game development
    If pygamelib interests you, you might also be interested in Pyxel: https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • This Week In Python
    Pyxel – A retro game engine for Python – by @kitao. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Show HN: Driftmania – an open source PICO-8 racing game
    Nice work, gives me very Micro Machines vibes for the NES. The only thing I don't like about PICO-8 is that its completely closed source. An open source alternative that seems very promising is Pyxel. It has similar retro / pixel art limitations, a built-in sprite editor, music tracker, etc. https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • is python good for making games?
    There's also game engines which are fun to use in python, like pyxel. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Web App Generation Feature Added to Pyxel, a Retro Game Engine for Python
    A function to automatically generate an application launch URL has been added to Pyxel, a retro game engine for Python (https://github.com/kitao/pyxel please add your star to this repository!). Source: about 2 years ago
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Unity mentions (204)

  • OOP for Unity Beginners: Build Better Games from the Start
    In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll break down OOP in Unity in a way that’s simple, practical, and directly tied to game development. You’ll learn how to structure your code with classes, inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism—without getting overwhelmed by jargon. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Why Does Everyone Forget Java and C# for Backend Development? Why Don’t Full-Stack Developers Learn Java and C#?
    C# was developed by Microsoft in the early 2000s as part of its .NET initiative, led by Anders Hejlsberg. Originally designed as an alternative to Java, C# evolved into a powerful language for Windows applications, backend services, game development (via Unity), and cloud computing. The introduction of .NET Core made C# fully cross-platform, allowing it to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • One must imagine Sisyphus writing a new JS framework
    The same happened with video games thanks to projects like Unity or Blender. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to use an auto-tiling technique in your next game project
    One can get exposed to auto-tiling in different implementations. If you're using a game engine like Unity or Godot, there are features automatically built into those packages to enabling auto-tiling as you draw and create your levels. Also, there are software tools like Tiled, LDTK, and Sprite Fusion, that are a little more tilemap specific and give you native tools for auto-tiling. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • How to Use Virtual Reality for Client Walkthroughs and Approvals
    > Unity is renowned for its versatility and ease of use. With a vast library of assets and plugins, it's perfect for rapid prototyping and iterative design. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pyxel and Unity, you can also consider the following products

PICO-8 - Lua-based fantasy console for making and playing tiny, computer games and programs.

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

TIC-80 - TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.

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

Bitsy - Bitsy is a small, fast, embeddable, durable in-memory graph database that implements the Blueprints API.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.