Side by side
5Stack vs Colyseus
Both stand on game matchmaking software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxWeb
Choose 5Stack if you want free, open-source Counter-Strike 2 competition tools and can host the platform yourself. Its matchmaking, tournament management, analysis, and broadcast features cover community and organized play. Look elsewhere if you need a hosted or managed service, or cannot meet the stated hosting and GPU requirements.
Visit 5Stack
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5
Colyseus combines server-side game logic, state sync, and matchmaking in a Node.js framework. The free self-hosted plan and paid Cloud service offer different support and deployment paths.
Visit ColyseusThe facts
| 5Stack | Colyseus | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Web | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Colyseus Cloud: $15 a month |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | 5stack.gg | colyseus.io |
| On game matchmaking software | #3 of 28 | #1 of 28 |
5Stack: what it does well
- Supports 1v1, 2v2, and 5v5 matchmaking with parties.
- Offers four tournament formats, plus multi-stage brackets and leagues.
- Includes player statistics, match analysis, replays, and highlight reels.
- Broadcasts can include overlays, Stream Deck control, and picture-in-picture.
- Integrates Discord, match imports, and external streaming sources.
What to know first
- Self-hosting requires users to provide infrastructure at their own cost.
- A Linux server and domain are required.
- Specified playback, streaming, and rendering features require an NVIDIA GPU on native Linux.
Colyseus: what it does well
- MIT-licensed and free for commercial games
- Automatic room creation and player matching
- SDKs listed for multiple engines and languages
- Self-hosted deployment or managed Cloud options
- Cloud spans 32 global locations
What to know first
- Cloud has no free tier
- Cloud does not currently offer auto-scaling
- Heavier Cloud workloads require resource upgrades
Alternatives to 5Stack Alternatives to Colyseus The whole list