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Instead of Mirror Networking
Mirror Networking alternatives
Mirror Networking gives Unity developers a free, MIT-licensed way to add multiplayer features, with no paywalls or CCU costs. It is server-authoritative by default and supports dedicated servers or client hosts. Its Unity components handle network identity and behavior, state synchronization, message handling, serialization, and automatic syncing of transforms and script variables. Built-in transports cover UDP, TCP, and WebSockets, with additional integrations for Steam, Epic Online Services, and relay services.
- 1
FishNet
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+4Unity games needing prediction and Addressables support — FishNet adds built-in client-side prediction, Addressables support, and configurable authentication to a server-authoritative Unity networking solution.
- 2
Netick
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3Unity games needing replay and tick-aligned simulation — Netick adds a built-in full-game replay system and tick-aligned simulation with snapshot interpolation and delta compression.
- 3
Normcore
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+4Unity projects needing voice, networked physics, or XR — Normcore adds networked physics, persistent spaces, voice chat, and global cloud servers with automatic region selection.
- 4
Photon Fusion
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+4Games needing Unity, Unreal, or Godot networking — Photon Fusion supports Unity, Unreal, and Godot and offers dedicated-server, client-host, and shared-authority topologies.
- 5
Photon Quantum
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3Unity games using deterministic simulation and rollback — Photon Quantum uses deterministic ECS simulation with input exchange, prediction, and rollback rather than Mirror's networking-library model.
- 6
Photon Realtime
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+5Cross-platform games needing hosted matchmaking — Photon Realtime is a cloud-hosted service with matchmaking, turn-based modes, room rejoin, and persistent-data webhooks.
- 7
SmartFoxServer
Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+6Multiplayer games and communities needing server extensions — SmartFoxServer adds a client/server platform with server-side extensions, analytics, administration tools, and multiple UDP delivery options.
- 8
Colyseus
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5 - 9
Amazon GameLift Servers
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4 - 10
GameNetworkingSockets
Free plan APIiPhoneLinux+3 - 11
DarkRift 2
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWindows - 12
LiteNetLib
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2 - 13
Netcode for GameObjects
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3 - 14
netcode.io
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1 - 15
GGRS
Free plan APILinuxMac+2 - 16
GGPO
Free plan Windows - 17
Naia
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3 - 18
coherence
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3 - 19
Riptide Networking
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3 - 20
Steamworks
Free plan APILinuxMac+1 - 21
Open Match
Free plan APISelf-hosted - 22
Unity
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4 - 23
Steam Input
Free plan APILinuxMac+1 - 24
Renet
Free plan
A different choice may fit better if you need features Mirror does not emphasize, such as built-in matchmaking, voice chat, persistent spaces, or a deterministic simulation model. Mirror’s feature list also marks lag compensation and encryption as Beta, unreliable sync as in development, and bitpacking and prediction as research items. When comparing options, weigh whether you want a Unity library or a hosted service, whether you need rollback or prediction, which game engines and deployment models matter, and how the product’s free and paid terms compare with Mirror’s free model.
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