CreateJS vs Pixi: What are the differences?

1. 1. Performance:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS is known for delivering good performance with its optimized rendering engine. It utilizes a display list structure for efficient rendering and updates only the necessary objects, leading to smooth animations and interactions.
   • Pixi: Pixi is highly regarded for its exceptional rendering performance, especially when it comes to rendering large numbers of objects or complex scenes. It leverages WebGL technology to achieve hardware-accelerated graphics, resulting in fast and fluid animations.

2. Compatibility:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS provides good cross-browser compatibility, supporting a wide range of platforms and browsers, including older versions. It can fall back to HTML5 Canvas rendering for browsers that do not support WebGL.
   • Pixi: Pixi is mainly focused on modern browsers with WebGL support, and its emphasis is on delivering high-performance graphics. While it can be used in non-WebGL browsers, the performance might be limited as it will fall back to HTML5 Canvas rendering.

3. Features and Functionality:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS offers a comprehensive set of libraries that cover various aspects of web game development, including animations, interactivity, sound, and physics. It includes modules such as EaselJS, TweenJS, SoundJS, and PhysicsJS, providing a well-rounded toolkit for game development.
   • Pixi: Pixi is primarily a rendering engine and focuses on providing a lightweight and efficient framework for rendering 2D graphics. While it lacks some of the built-in features of CreateJS, it offers the flexibility to integrate with other libraries and frameworks, allowing developers to choose the specific functionalities they need.

4. Community and Documentation:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS has an active and supportive community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and examples available. It is backed by Adobe and has been used in numerous projects, making it relatively easy to find resources and assistance.
   • Pixi: Pixi also has a vibrant community and comprehensive documentation, with a large user base that actively contributes to the development and improvement of the framework. It is widely adopted by game developers, which means there is ample support and resources available.

5. Learning Curve:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS has a relatively gentle learning curve, especially for developers familiar with JavaScript and HTML5. Its libraries are well-documented, and the modular structure allows developers to choose and learn specific components as needed.
   • Pixi: Pixi has a steeper learning curve compared to CreateJS, primarily due to its focus on rendering and its reliance on WebGL. Developers will need to have a good understanding of graphics programming concepts and WebGL to take full advantage of Pixi's capabilities.

6. Target Audience:

   • CreateJS: CreateJS is suitable for a wide range of developers, including beginners and those with intermediate JavaScript skills. Its comprehensive feature set and accessibility make it an excellent choice for learning game development or creating small to medium-sized web games.
   • Pixi: Pixi is more geared towards experienced developers with a good understanding of graphics programming and a need for high-performance rendering. It is commonly used by professional game developers who require fine-grained control over the rendering process.

In Summary, CreateJS focuses on providing a comprehensive toolkit for web game development, offering a range of libraries and good cross-browser compatibility, while Pixi excels in rendering performance, leveraging WebGL for hardware-accelerated graphics, and targets more experienced developers.