The Backend Alternative to PlayFab & Firebase | GameFuse
The Firebase and PlayFab Alternative with Leaderboards, Logins and More
What Is GameFuse?
Use GameFuse in your project to easily add authentication, user data, leaderboards, in-game stores, and more all without writing and hosting any servers or writing any API code. It's never been easier to store your data online! GameFuse is always free for hobby and small indie projects. With larger usage, there are metered usage fees.
Why Choose GameFuse?
There are a few other options when choosing a backend platform for your game. The solution may depend on what features you need and what is important to you. Google Firebase and Microsoft Playfab could also work in many circumstances.
Pros and Cons of Firebase
Google Firebase is a powerful backend that could be helpful if you have the time to learn to use it. The sheer scope of Firebase is very large, and it is not only for some games. While this can be a benefit, it also means bloated documentation and difficulty finding instructions to do what you are looking for.
For Google Firebase, you will need to incorporate a ‘package identifier’ and do some registrations for your app. This may add complication to your mobile game's progress, especially if you get up and running quick. Filters can be added on GameFuse to restrict origin URLs and package identifiers to make sure no one else is connecting to your app.
Some people may prefer a specific tool just for game backends. GameFuse will have fewer tabs on the side, less documentation for features you will never use, for a more simple, more focused development process.
Pros and Cons of Playfab
Microsoft Playfab is also a powerful backend that could be helpful if you have the time to learn to use it. Playfab shares a lot of similarities with Firebase in terms of scale. The complex pricing page can leave you feeling overwhelmed, with dozens of different metrics and complicated calculations (“$0.0000036 per additional player minute”). With GameFuse’s straightforward pricing and free tier, it's easy to understand and free to use if you are not turning a profit. The pricing per user session is a small fraction of what you would make off ads shown to the same user.
If you would like more features like deep analytics and real-time multiplayer, Playfab has a neck up on GameFuse at the time this article was written.
TL;DR
GameFuse is the simplest and quickest way to implement all the functionality you need for indie and mobile games. Firebase and Playfab may be the choice if you are developing a AAA game and have the development resources to spend hours learning complex libraries and configurations. But if you want it done quick and cheap, GameFuse is your pick. Visit https://gamefuse.co to get started!
