Side by side

Colyseus vs FishNet

Both stand on game networking middleware. 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

FishNet combines a free, server-authoritative networking core with prediction, scene support, and flexible hosting options. Teams should account for its primitive-only prediction collider shapes and enable transport encryption if needed.

Visit FishNet

The facts

	Colyseus	FishNet
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	Android, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Colyseus Cloud: $15 a month	FishNet Pro: $50, paid once
Plans published	2	2
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	colyseus.io	fish-networking.gitbook.io
On game networking middleware	#1 of 29	#3 of 29

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

FishNet: what it does well

Free plan has no CCU caps or paywalls.
Supports dedicated and player-hosted servers.
Built-in client-side prediction includes Rigidbody prediction.
Addressables support covers network scenes and prefabs.

What to know first

Transport is unencrypted by default.
Prediction colliders support primitive shapes only.
FishNet Pro is listed at $50.00 USD once.

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