Side by side

Colyseus vs Faye

Both stand on websocket tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Colyseus

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 Colyseus

Faye provides protocol-based messaging, multiple transport options, and extension points, with documented engines for distributed deployments. Review its default access settings and browser connection limits when planning an application.

Visit Faye

The facts

	Colyseus	Faye
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Yes
Runs on	Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Colyseus Cloud: $15 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	colyseus.io	faye.jcoglan.com
On websocket tools	#1 of 55	#2 of 55

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

Faye: what it does well

Supports Node.js and Ruby message servers
Provides clients for major web browsers
Offers WebSocket and HTTP-based transports
Extensions can support subscription authentication
Monitoring reports messaging and connection events

What to know first

Default engine cannot span multiple front-end servers
Browser clients need a Faye server for delivery
Default access permits unrestricted publishing and subscribing
Browsers impose per-host connection limits

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