Best Photon Server Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from game networking middleware ranked against Photon Server on the same published basis.
- 1Photon Server vs Colyseus
- 2Photon Server vs Photon Quantum
- 3Photon Server vs SmartFoxServer
- 4Photon Server vs Photon Fusion
- 5Photon Server vs Photon Realtime
- 6Photon Server vs FishNet
- 7Photon Server vs Netick
- 8Photon Server vs Normcore
- 9Photon Server vs Mirror Networking
- 10Photon Server vs Naia
- 11Photon Server vs LiteNetLib
- 12Photon Server vs Netcode for GameObjects
- 13Photon Server vs Unity
- 14Photon Server vs GameNetworkingSockets
- 15Photon Server vs Riptide Networking
- 17Photon Server vs DarkRift 2
- 18Photon Server vs Steamworks
- 19Photon Server vs Steam Input
- 20Photon Server vs Open Match
- 21Photon Server vs Renet
Photon Server alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colyseus | 9.6 | Free plan | $15/mo | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Photon Quantum | 9.6 | Free plan | $0.50/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | SmartFoxServer | 9.5 | Free plan | €32.50/mo | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Photon Fusion | 9.5 | Free plan | $0.50/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | Photon Realtime | 9.4 | Free plan | $0.29/mo | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | FishNet | 9.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Netick | 9.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Normcore | 9.0 | Free plan | $49/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Mirror Networking | 8.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 10 | Naia | 8.0 | No | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 11 | LiteNetLib | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Netcode for GameObjects | 7.8 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 13 | Unity | 7.6 | Free plan | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 14 | GameNetworkingSockets | 7.3 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS |
| 15 | Riptide Networking | 7.1 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 17 | DarkRift 2 | 5.8 | No | — | — |
| 18 | Steamworks | 5.6 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 19 | Steam Input | 5.4 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Open Match | 5.3 | No | — | — |
| 21 | Renet | 5.3 | No | — | — |
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Questions about Photon Server alternatives
What is the best alternative to Photon Server?
Colyseus, number 1 in game networking middleware with a score of 9.6 out of 10. The others here: Photon Quantum, SmartFoxServer, Photon Fusion and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Photon Server?
Colyseus is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.