Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) VS BYOND

Compare Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) VS BYOND and see what are their differences

Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) logo Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK)

Corona is a 2D engine lets you build games & apps for all major platforms including iOS, Android, Kindle, Apple TV, Android TV, macOS, and Windows. Get the free toolset!

BYOND logo BYOND

BYOND is the premier community for making and playing online multiplayer games.
  • Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-04-08
  • BYOND Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Solar 2D allows developers to create applications for multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, Windows Desktop, and macOS using a single codebase, reducing development time and cost.
  • Ease of Use
    The framework uses the Lua scripting language, which is known for its simplicity and ease of learning, making it accessible for beginners and efficient for experienced developers.
  • High-Performance Graphics Engine
    Solar 2D provides a powerful 2D graphics engine that is capable of rendering high-quality graphics with excellent performance on supported platforms.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    The documentation and available learning resources are comprehensive, helping developers quickly get up to speed and efficiently utilize the features of the SDK.
  • Open Source
    Being open source allows developers to access and modify the source code, fostering a community-driven approach to improvements and custom features.

Possible disadvantages of Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK)

  • Limited 3D Support
    Solar 2D is primarily designed for 2D game and application development, so it lacks the robust 3D capabilities found in other engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to larger platforms, Solar 2D has a smaller developer community, which may result in fewer third-party plugins, extensions, and resources.
  • Dependent on Plugins for Advanced Features
    Some advanced features may require third-party plugins, which can add complexity to the project and dependency management.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    While open source allows community contributions, the official updates and feature enhancements may be less frequent than those of larger commercial engines.
  • Limited Marketing and Industry Presence
    Solar 2D, formerly Corona SDK, lacks the marketing presence and widespread industry adoption compared to bigger players, which can impact its long-term viability for some developers.

BYOND features and specs

  • Community and Collaboration
    BYOND has a strong community of developers and players which encourages collaboration and sharing of resources, ideas, and feedback.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform provides a relatively easy-to-use development environment with its proprietary programming language, DM (Dream Maker), making it accessible to beginners.
  • Multiplayer Support
    Built-in multiplayer support simplifies the process of developing networked multiplayer games, which is often a complex task in game development.
  • Resource Library
    BYOND offers an extensive library of resources, including tutorials, assets, and code snippets that can accelerate the game development process.
  • Free to Use
    The platform is free to download and use, lowering the barrier to entry for aspiring game developers.

Possible disadvantages of BYOND

  • Limited Graphics Capabilities
    The graphics capabilities are relatively outdated compared to modern game engines, which can limit the visual appeal of games developed on the platform.
  • Proprietary Language
    The use of the proprietary programming language, DM, may be a barrier for developers familiar with more widely-used languages like C++ or JavaScript.
  • Performance Issues
    Performance may degrade with more complex or graphically intensive games, making BYOND less suitable for high-performance game projects.
  • Platform Dependency
    BYOND games typically need to be played through the BYOND client, which can limit the reach and accessibility compared to standalone game executables.
  • Niche User Base
    The user base, while supportive, is relatively small and niche compared to larger game development communities, which can limit exposure and potential player base.

Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) videos

No Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

BYOND videos

My History with BYOND

More videos:

  • Review - Byond B63 unboxing and review - dual core handset

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) and BYOND)
Game Development
25 25%
75% 75
Game Engine
26 26%
74% 74
Gaming
37 37%
63% 63
3D Game Engine
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) and BYOND. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) should be more popular than BYOND. It has been mentiond 2 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.

Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) mentions (2)

  • Starting with Lua
    I have not made anything in defold. While we're at it, I've also seen https://coronalabs.com/ (the open source version of Solar2d, awful timing on the new brand) but, again, I've no experience with it. By all accounts they're perfectly serviceable frameworks! It's just I only listed things I have direct experience with. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Delta Air Lines doesn’t want to call delta variant the ‘delta variant’
    A call out to Solar2D, previously Corona2D https://coronalabs.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago

BYOND mentions (1)

  • "I have a great idea"
    I fell for this when I was a kid on Byond. The idea guy thought he was J. R. R. Tolkien. My sprite artist friend joined me. He was vague about what he wanted and even though we had been making everything he asked of us he brought another coder in, a couple years younger than me, I was a teen and he was 13. When he was given my code he called me boring and started throwing together some stuff. He ended up writing... Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Solar 2D (formerly Corona SDK) and BYOND, you can also consider the following products

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

ct.js - ct.js is a 2D game editor (desktop app) based on web technologies.

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

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

RPG Maker - Make your own PC game with RPG Maker. Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child, and powerful enough for a developer. Try it free today!

MonoGame - MonoGame is an open source implementation of the Microsoft XNA 4 Framework.