BACKND

Overview

BACKND is a game backend API and SDK for studios adding online systems to mobile and cross-platform games. It suits teams that want accounts, data, multiplayer and live operations in one service; its breadth is compelling, but capacity and engine support deserve scrutiny before a larger launch.

Its core services span player accounts and game data, matchmaking, chat, and persistent worlds, alongside tools for operating a live game. BACKND is made by AFI, Inc., based in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The company says it encrypts data, monitors for customer-information leakage risks, and holds TTA V&V quality certification; it is also an AWS Official Partner, with availability through AWS Marketplace.

Key features

Backend, data and accounts

BACKND Base combines authentication, cloud data, rankings, social functions, notices, events, coupons, push notifications and receipt verification, with an admin console for backend management. Accounts can use custom ID and password, guest login, or Google, Apple and Facebook federation. That range gives developers several common account paths without assembling separate services for each.

BACKND Database supports user and shared data, access permissions, SQL-like queries, indexes, backups and downloads. Its FREE allowance is 300 MB of read bandwidth, 100 MB of write bandwidth and 200 MB of storage; exceeding those limits can restrict game usage. That makes the free tier useful for evaluation, but a poor basis for assuming an unrestricted production database.

Multiplayer, chat and persistent worlds

BACKND Match covers 1:1, individual and team matchmaking, result processing, reconnection and in-game chat. BACKND Chat adds real-time channels, moderation tools, profanity filtering, reports, sanctions and translation. Channels can expand to 5,000 users, while concurrent users can scale to 100,000. Those are substantial stated ceilings for chat, though the service’s separate plan limits still matter when budgeting.

BACKND Worlds provides persistent game servers and real-time state synchronization for MMO and other multiplayer games. Unity is officially supported; other engines can connect by calling server APIs directly. That distinction makes Worlds a more straightforward fit for Unity teams than for studios seeking formal support for another engine.

Development and operations

BACKND Function lets developers write server-side features in C# using Unity-style syntax, with Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code extensions and a CLI. Documentation covers Unity SDKs, an Unreal SDK, a Platform API and a .NET SDK across products. The Chat SDK supports Android, iOS, Windows, Mac (Editor) and Linux. Webshop functions cover authentication, item delivery, refunds and delivery history without extra integration or operating cost; Newplay and Xsolla are named webshop integrations, and other integrations can be submitted for review.

Refund Management supports Google Play, the App Store and ONE Store, with real-time refund webhooks and automatic user blocking. It requires BACKND Base SDK integration and store webhook registration. The homepage says all features can be tested for free, but does not give a trial duration. It also advertises 24/7 expert support, while contact hours are KST 10:00–18:00.

Pricing

BACKND’s freemium structure includes several distinct product plans, so the plan names and quotas should be matched to the service a project actually needs.

• Free is 0.00 USD per free, billed Free, and includes up to 50 CCU, 1 GB/month traffic, core chat features and translation. It is best for a small chat deployment or initial evaluation; the concurrent-user and traffic ceilings make it a limited production choice.
• FREE Plan is 0.00 USD per free, billed Free, with unlimited users, up to 100K free transaction calls per feature/month and up to 25 projects. Its user count is generous for development, but the per-feature transaction quota is the constraint to watch.
• BASIC 100 costs 9.00 USD per month, billed USD 9/month, and supports up to 100 users per channel, essential chat features and 5 GB/month traffic. It fits modest chat needs, but offers less than the Pro chat tiers.
• PRO 100 costs 19.00 USD per month, billed USD 19/month, and offers up to 100 users per channel, core chat features and Pro management features. Choose it when management capability matters more than translation.
• PRO Translate 100 costs 28.00 USD per month, billed USD 28/month, and includes up to 100 users per channel, Pro features and translation. The premium over PRO 100 is justified for teams that need translated chat.
• PRO costs 29.00 USD per month, billed $29/month, with 15 GB read bandwidth, 10 GB write bandwidth, 2 GB storage, 10 indexes and 100 tables. This is a paid Database tier for projects that have outgrown the narrow free allowance.
• SCALE costs 829.00 USD per month, billed $829/month, with 300 GB read bandwidth, 150 GB write bandwidth, 20 GB storage, 10 indexes and 300 tables. Its much larger quotas target heavier data workloads, but the price is a substantial step up from PRO.
• Basic has no monthly base fee: it includes FREE benefits, charges for usage beyond free limits and includes paid technical support. It suits usage-based needs, but costs can rise once a game crosses its free allowances.
• Enterprise has custom pricing, billed Contact Sales, and offers a stable service environment and dedicated server option for teams seeking those provisions.

Platforms

BACKND lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows, alongside API access. Unity and Unreal Engine are named as game engines. Worlds’ official engine support is narrower: Unity is supported directly, while other engines rely on server API calls.

Who it's for

BACKND is a strong candidate for game teams that want backend accounts, data, chat and multiplayer services under one provider, especially Unity developers building persistent or social games. It is less suitable for a team that needs clearly uniform engine support across every service, or for a data-heavy game that cannot work within free-tier restrictions and does not have budget for paid capacity.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Base combines account, data and live-operations functions, reducing the number of backend components a game team must source separately.
• Pros: Chat includes moderation, sanctions and translation, with stated expansion up to 5,000 users per channel and 100,000 concurrent users.
• Pros: Worlds supplies persistent servers and real-time synchronization for multiplayer and MMO use cases.
• Cons: Database FREE has modest bandwidth and storage caps, and exceeding them can restrict game usage.
• Cons: Worlds formally supports Unity; teams on other engines must integrate through server APIs.
• Cons: Chat and database pricing use separate plan structures, so a project may need to compare multiple quotas rather than choose one all-in package.

Alternatives

Consider Balancy if a game’s priority is a CMS, payment validation and cloud storage; its free CMS plan includes 1 GB total asset storage and a 10 MB maximum asset size, rather than BACKND’s emphasis on backend multiplayer services.

brainCloud is another game-backend alternative, with a free Development plan and separate best-effort weekday support.

Choose Metaplay if local development is central: its free plan includes the full SDK and local server with no hard limits on local development.

Tenjin is a better fit for teams focused on attribution conversions, with 2,000 free conversions/month and a $0.04 charge per additional conversion.

For browser-game publishing rather than a broad backend, Yandex Games Developer Console offers a free publishing platform for browser games, with ZIP uploads up to 100 MB and an SDK requirement.

AccelByte Gaming Services is another freemium game-services option, with Public Cloud Foundations free while building and usage fees as players arrive.

If analytics rather than server infrastructure is the main need, GameAnalytics offers free analytics with no MAU limits and dashboards, events, funnels, cohorts, retention and real-time reporting.

Hyperstone is another freemium option, with a free plan that includes unlimited seats and all platform features.

Verdict

Choose BACKND if you want one game-focused service for core backend functions, multiplayer systems and live operations, particularly for a Unity project. Its range is the main draw; the main reasons to look elsewhere are the database free caps, separate service quotas and the less direct Worlds path for non-Unity engines.