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Head-to-head · Game Backend Services

Beamable vs Colyseus

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score Beamable #3 in Game Backend Services 9.0/10 90-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Beamable
Colyseus #5 in Game Backend Services 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Colyseus

Beamable leads on 0 checks, Colyseus on 2, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBeamable · 9.0/10
  • Lowest starting priceColyseus · $15/mo
  • Free planonly Colyseus
  • Free trialonly Beamable

Beamable scores higher on our rubric for game backend services: 9.0 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #5.

Colyseus offers free plan; Beamable doesn't. Colyseus is cheaper to start at $15/mo against $125/mo.

Beamable is the better fit for studios building multiplayer and live-service games. Colyseus is the better fit for teams prioritizing networking and low-cost hosting.

  • Beamable fits best

    Studios building multiplayer and live-service games

  • Colyseus fits best

    Teams prioritizing networking and low-cost hosting

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Beamable 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Colyseus 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.8
Ranking #3 in Game Backend Services #5 in Game Backend Services
Best for Studios building multiplayer and live-service games Teams prioritizing networking and low-cost hosting
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $125/mo $15/mo (best)
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 90 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Beamable 5/5 · Colyseus 5/5
Multiplayer networking ✓ ✓
Player accounts ✓ ✓
Matchmaking ✓ ✓
Cloud data ✓ ✓
Live-ops tools ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Hybrid Hybrid
Our review
Pros
  • Covers multiplayer, matchmaking, accounts, cloud saves, and LiveOps
  • Supports Unity, Unreal Engine, web, REST API, and AWS integrations
  • Offers usage-based and tiered plans, plus private-cloud deployment
  • Room-based networking with matchmaking, queues, and real-time state sync
  • Free self-hosting with no restrictions on the open-source plan
  • Advanced latency features, scaling, persistence, and live operations tools
Cons
  • No time-unlimited free plan; the free offering lasts 90 days
  • Paid usage-based pricing adds overage charges for extra bandwidth
  • Advanced scale and enterprise support require higher-priced plans
  • Managed Cloud hosting starts at $15 per month and has no free tier
  • Self-hosting requires your team to manage its own servers
  • Community support is limited to the Open Source plan
Our verdict

Beamable is a backend and live-operations platform for studios building online, multiplayer, and live-service games. Its scope spans real-time and turn-based networking, optional matchmaking, player identity, cloud saves, content…

Read the review →

Colyseus is an open-source Node.js framework for building authoritative multiplayer game servers. It is designed for teams that need room-based networking, real-time binary state synchronization, matchmaking, player accounts, persistent…

Read the review →
  1. BeamableGame Backend Services 9.090-day trial
  2. ColyseusGame Backend Services 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Beamable — where it wins

    • Covers multiplayer, matchmaking, accounts, cloud saves, and LiveOps
    • Supports Unity, Unreal Engine, web, REST API, and AWS integrations
    • Offers usage-based and tiered plans, plus private-cloud deployment

    Where it doesn't

    • No time-unlimited free plan; the free offering lasts 90 days
    • Paid usage-based pricing adds overage charges for extra bandwidth
    • Advanced scale and enterprise support require higher-priced plans

  • Colyseus — where it wins

    • Room-based networking with matchmaking, queues, and real-time state sync
    • Free self-hosting with no restrictions on the open-source plan
    • Advanced latency features, scaling, persistence, and live operations tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Managed Cloud hosting starts at $15 per month and has no free tier
    • Self-hosting requires your team to manage its own servers
    • Community support is limited to the Open Source plan

More comparisons

All game backend services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update