# Defold

> Source-available Lua game engine; forever free, not OSI Open Source

**Category:** Libraries  
**Pricing:** source-available  
**URL:** https://defold.com  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/defold/defold  
**Added:** 2026-09-04

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## The Hook

Defold is the forever-free Lua engine for HTML5 and native when Phaser is JS-only canvas.

## What's Good

Defold License v1.0. Forever free, no royalty. Lua scripting, HTML5 and native targets. Source available to read and build games. Small runtime, editor included.

## The Catch

LOUD: source-available NOT OSI Open Source — §4a may not commercialize as a Game Engine Product. Forever free for making games; license is not MIT/Apache. Vs Phaser/melonJS/KAPLAY JS engines. Distinct from Phaser, melonJS, and KAPLAY.

## Verdict

Forever-free Lua engine. Source-available — not OSI OSS; do not ship it as your own engine product.