UnityPricing

Unity Pricing 2022

Video games are the absolute juggernaut of the entertainment industry dwarfing movies and music at $145 billion. The industry is unsurprisingly fast, with new games appearing left and right. Game engine platforms that can help speed up development are a big reason why.

Whether you are a small-time indie developer or an established game company, the Unity game engine can help you achieve new heights for your next project. Unity can help your team program less and create more.

What Is Unity

Unity is one of the most significant game engines for indie and professional game developers. Unity is owned by Unity Technologies. They are not owned by Microsoft, but they have collaborated together before; the Xbox One is their most famous example.

The range of different Unity engine end-users is pretty diverse. Unity products are globally popular and mainly used by computer software companies and educational institutions. This can surprise some, as Unity is mainly known for video and mobile game development.

The game engine is known for its ease of use and intuitive user interface for beginners. You don’t have to be able to code to get started. You can find a codeless game development tutorial here.

Unity also tries to be transparent with users. While they are not open source, they have made some open source repositories available that you can find here.

What Should You Know About Unity?

The modern Unity 3D games are what most fans will be most familiar with. It’s important to know Unity can be used for virtual reality (VR), 3D, and even classic 2D games. You can find out more about working with 2D and 3D games here.

The types of operating systems (OS) and hardware requirements you will need can be found here. It can work with Windows, macOS, and with a special installation, Linux. For the best graphics per unit (GPU) you need a graphics card with DX10.

You don’t need to program as much with Unity because they already have code to run your program. All you need to do is focus on the scripting for the actual game itself. Text editors you can use with Unity include Visual Studio, Notepad, MonoDevelop for older versions, and others.

Unity operates with object-oriented languages such as versions of the C programming language. The Unity engine has C++ in its source code but you can’t write scripts for your game in C++. For clarification, the coding languages you can use with Unity are C# (“C sharp”) and Python.

C# is the main language used in Unity. Python can be used but not for scripting a game. It can be used for automation alongside C# code. You will need to install a special Unity package to use Python. For more information on how Python is used go here.

Unity has been able to be used in languages other than C#, but these previous versions have all been phased out. At one point they used a form of JavaScript called UnityScript, but this was also phased out in 2017. Boo was also discontinued but mainly because the language disappeared from the programming scene in general. No one even remembers Boo it’s like he’s a ghost.

What Are Unity’s Pricing Plans?

Unity is an annual pricing model and is based on each seat or user that works with the software. Unity doesn’t really offer a choice for users picking plans.

They directly tell you which plans are an option based on your team's revenue (or personal revenue as a freelance developer). You agree to their terms of service when you use their engine so it’s not a good idea to misrepresent any information about your revenue. You can read their terms of service here.

The Personal version of Unity is ideal for small teams and minuscule startups. The Personal plan is designed for individuals and small indie startups that want to get started in game development.

Startup teams that qualify need to make less than 100k for the last 12 months. It comes with one user seat. If you are interested in the free plan because you are a student you should see the Unity Student Plan here. Unity is free for current students of accredited universities.

The free version of the software is equipped with bare-bones features but those bones provide a powerful structure to create and monetize your dream game.

This software version has the main core features of Unity for building and deploying your video game or mobile game. You will be able to download the Bolt Visual Scripting plugin from the Asset Store. The plugin allows users to develop logic for their project without scripting the actual code.

Users will be able to monitor their code by setting up notifications with their preferred messaging app such as Discord or Slack. You also have access to analytics that provide real-time insight into the gameplay of your end-users.

This will be especially important for developing an improved version for player satisfaction. It’s also valuable for future campaigns and monetization. You will know what parts of the game attract new players based on your understanding of their satisfaction. You will also know whether or not your game is even ready for monetization thanks to user analytics.

In terms of monetization, you can have Unity Ads and in-app purchases. Unity Ads allows you to add and control ads in your applications. You can find out more about how they work and how to set them up here.

The Personal package of Unity can help dreamers get their projects off the ground. The plan is not suited for more established developers that want advanced analytics, customization, and technical support.

You should again avoid misrepresenting how much your team makes. The Personal plan is for one user and does require creating an account. If it turns out that you are part of a team that makes well over 100K a year Unity can take any action at their discretion.

The Unity Plus plan is designed for teams rather than individuals like the Personal plan. This is the plan that is an option for any teams that made under 200k in the last year.

There is only one big difference between this plan and Personal is customization and analytics. In Plus you can customize your splash screen or choose to remove it.

When it comes to analytics you do get access to more powerful and detailed metrics for end-user satisfaction and debugging. This upgrade in reporting can help you improve the functionality of your projects dramatically. You can also add more messaging apps for notifications about code.

This software version can be valuable for programmer teams that are still growing and trying to make a name for themselves. If you want more export options for your game’s personal data or to use other platforms for deployment then yous should move up a version.

The Unity Pro and Enterprise packages are your only options if your team makes more than 200k a year. These software versions are a much greater jump in features compared to Plus and Personal.

You have the option to deploy your game to private platforms like Xbox and Playstation. You’ll be able to buy and use high-quality art asset packs and the option to buy the server license to upload your game project builds to your own network.

Users even have the choice to buy access to Unity’s C/C++ source code where you can make modifications (it’s the main circumstance where you could write in C++).

Your team can also export up to 50GB/mo of your personal data for your own analysis. For support, you get priority access to experts that answer your questions and help you with technical problems.

When it comes to the difference between Pro and Enterprise it’s not astronomical that’s for sure. It comes down to whether you need to buy a few add-ons or not. Enterprise comes with the server license for moving project builds, a dedicated CSR, and training subscriptions.

If you think the $2,200 difference in price between them isn’t worth it, you should definitely start with Pro. If you want more dedicated support and slightly fewer add-ons to buy then Enterprise is best for you.

What Is Another Game Engine Like Unity?

The Unreal game engine is another major platform for high-end developers and especially startups. You could even suggest that Unreal might be more affordable and startup-friendly. This is because the licensing packages are much more flexible than Unity’s.

You have three options to choose from Standard, Enterprise, and Custom. You can’t get any license but Standard without consulting the sales department.

The Standard license has full access to the main Unreal engine features, educational material, and community support. It’s also completely free until your project meets the royal threshold of $1 million dollars. After your first million, you have a 5% royalty fee to pay. You can learn more at the FAQs page here.

It’s safe to say for Indie game developers this is a pretty sweet deal. In comparison to Unity where you need to pay well over $1000 per user seat if your company makes more than 200k a year. If you are already a pretty established company and making a million from one game won’t be hard for you then paying 5% royalty fees may not be worth it.

More Resources

If you want to see more game engine platforms on TrustRadius you can find our list here. For those that have used any of the platforms discussed here please leave a review to help other buyers make informed decisions.