FishNet

Overview

FishNet is a free networking solution for Unity games, built around a server-authoritative client-server model. It suits teams that want to choose and operate their own hosting, from dedicated servers to player-hosted sessions. Its broad networking toolkit and lack of concurrency caps are strong advantages, though prediction collider support is limited to primitive shapes and transport encryption must be enabled separately.

Key features

FishNet’s high-level API synchronizes game state, logic, and objects, while events and inheritance provide lower-level options. That range can serve teams building both standard multiplayer systems and more tailored networking behavior without imposing a single hosting provider or concurrency paywall.

Built-in client-side prediction, desynchronization smoothing, and Rigidbody prediction address responsiveness and movement synchronization. The practical caveat is that prediction collider components currently handle only primitive shapes, including boxes, spheres, and circles; projects that need prediction with other collider shapes may need another approach.

FishNet also supports buffered remote calls, reliable and unreliable remote calls, configurable SyncTypes, tick-based timing, broadcasts, and area-of-interest controls. Addressables support covers network scenes and prefabs. FishNet Pro adds lag compensation and automatic code stripping, which removes sensitive server logic from client builds.

Customizable authenticators can require clients to pass authentication before communicating with a game server. Transport security is a separate consideration: communication is unencrypted by default, with DTLS available for UDP and TLS for WebSocket when encryption is enabled. Teams handling network traffic should plan to enable an appropriate transport option.

Community integrations cover voice, hosting and lobby tools, gameplay extensions, utilities, and Steamworks wrappers. They widen the options around the core, but FishNet does not officially maintain those assets or guarantee their support. Troubleshooting guides and the official Discord are support routes; Pro purchases can include priority support.

Pricing

The free FishNet plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes the Unity networking solution with no CCU caps or CCU paywalls. It is the natural fit for teams that want to control hosting and avoid a concurrency-based fee. Those teams still choose and manage their own server arrangements.

FishNet Pro costs 50.00 USD per once. It adds lag compensation and automatic code stripping, with lifetime access to future updates via the Unity Asset Store. It is a one-time purchase for teams that need those features; teams that do not need them can use the free core.

Platforms

FishNet is for Unity and supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. Its transport options are UDP and WebSocket. This range can suit projects targeting desktop, mobile, browser, and console, subject to their chosen transport and deployment setup.

Who it's for

FishNet is best suited to Unity teams that want server-authoritative networking, built-in prediction, and freedom to self-host, use dedicated servers, or let players host. Its uncapped, paywall-free concurrency model is especially relevant to teams that want to choose hosting independently of a CCU billing tier.

It is a less complete fit for teams that depend on non-primitive prediction colliders, expect encryption to be on by default, or require guaranteed support for community integrations. In those cases, the collider constraint, transport setup, and community-maintained status matter more than the breadth of the core feature set.

Pros and cons

• Pro: No CCU caps or CCU paywalls, with flexibility to choose self-hosting, dedicated servers, or player hosting.
• Pro: Built-in client-side prediction, smoothing, Rigidbody prediction, and Addressables support cover useful multiplayer needs within the Unity networking core.
• Pro: Pro is a one-time $50.00 USD purchase and includes lifetime access to future Asset Store updates.
• Con: Prediction collider components currently support only primitive shapes, limiting projects that need other collider types.
• Con: Communication is unencrypted by default, so teams needing transport encryption must enable DTLS for UDP or TLS for WebSocket.
• Con: Community integrations are not officially maintained or guaranteed by FishNet, which makes them a less dependable foundation than supported core features.

Alternatives

Game Networking Middleware is the broader category for comparing networking options.

Choose Mirror Networking if a free, open-source Unity networking option with no paywalls or CCU costs is the priority. Netick is another free server-authoritative state-sync option; its free plan reserves interest management and lag compensation for Pro.

Normcore is worth considering when its Public plan’s unlimited applications, concurrent users, and rooms, alongside 100 room hours, fit the project. For a managed concurrency allowance, Photon Fusion offers a free tier with 100 CCU, one app per customer, games-only use, approximately 40k MAU, 0.3 TB monthly traffic, and no CCU burst.

Photon Quantum offers a development-only free tier capped at 20 connected users and 60.0 GB monthly traffic, as well as a separate free 100-CCU plan. Photon Realtime also has a development-only 20-concurrent-user tier with 60.0 GB monthly traffic and no CCU burst; choose between these options based on which model fits the project.

SmartFoxServer is an alternative with a free Community Edition, full features, and a 100-concurrent-user limit. Colyseus offers an open-source, self-hosted plan with community support and no restrictions, plus a Colyseus Cloud option.

Verdict

Choose FishNet if you are building a Unity multiplayer game and want server-authoritative networking, a substantial built-in feature set, and the freedom to host without CCU caps or paywalls. Its main trade-offs are primitive-only prediction collider shapes and transport encryption that needs to be enabled. If those constraints do not fit your game, compare alternatives against the hosting and concurrency model you need.