Photon Engine
8.0#8 in game backend servicesFrom $125 a monthFree planAndroidiOSWebAPI
VisitPhoton Engine vs PlayFab
What both publish
| Fact | Photon Engine | PlayFab |
|---|---|---|
| Company size | Crunchbase lists Exit Games in the 11–50 employee range. | Crunchbase lists PlayFab's employee range as 11–50. |
| Integrations | Official setup material lists Unity, Unreal and native-platform integrations, with SDKs for .NET, C++, JavaScript and other environments. | The product page lists integrations for Xbox, Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Apple App Store and Google Play. |
| Product | Photon provides multiplayer networking products and infrastructure for developing and running real-time multiplayer games and applications. | PlayFab provides backend services for live games and connects players across platforms. |
| Security | Photon says its Cloud processes IP addresses and user IDs, does not store personally identifiable information on its servers, restricts and monitors server access, and performs automated security and vulnerability assessments. | Microsoft says developer sign-in migration adds MFA, conditional access, encryption and single sign-on through Microsoft accounts. |
| Self-hosting | Photon Server can be downloaded and installed on customer servers, while unmonitored Server installations use hardware-ID licensing. | Microsoft's open-source Thundernetes project lets developers run Windows or Linux game servers on Kubernetes clusters, including on-premises clusters. |
Photon Engine plans
- Development Only 20 CCUFree
- Free 100 CCUFree
- 100 CCU$95, paid once
- 500 CCU$125 a month
- 1000 CCU$250 a month
- 2000 CCU$500 a month
PlayFab plans
- Free to StartFree
- Standard Plan$99 a month
- Premium Plan$1,999 a month
- Enterprise PlanPriced on request
- Pay-as-you-goFree
Pick Photon Engine if…
Photon suits developers building multiplayer games or applications who need networking, matchmaking, voice, or chat capabilities. Its plans distinguish development-only use, games-only access, and higher connected-user allowances.
Pick PlayFab if…
PlayFab is for game developers, from indie teams to AAA studios, who need backend services for live games. It suits teams building player accounts, multiplayer features, live operations, or in-game economies across platforms.