Library Comparison

Library Comparison

Comparing the Libraries by License, Size and Use Case

Sizes are the minified JavaScript each page loads, compressed with gzip here (26 September 2026); assets, workers and fonts come on top:

WebGL libraries compared by license, size and use (npm 2,036 and jsDelivr 15,886 , 26 September 2026)
Library (version)	License	Gzipped JS	WebGPU path	Best for
twgl.js 3,005 (7.0.0)	MIT	29 KB	No	Raw WebGL with less typing
regl 5,583 (2.1.1)	MIT	28 KB	No (WebGL 1)	Custom data-driven shaders
OGL 4,660 (1.0.11)	Unlicense	39 KB	No	Light 3D and shader effects
PixiJS 313,967 (8.21.0)	MIT	233 KB	Yes	2D games, sprites
MapLibre GL JS 34,367 (6.11.2)	BSD-3-Clause	302 KB	No	Vector maps
deck.gl 492,297 (9.4.0)	MIT	575 KB	Separate luma.gl package	Large data layers
CesiumJS 76,128 (1.145.0)	Apache-2.0	1,753 KB	No	Globes, 3D Tiles
Three.js 30,815 (0.186.1)	MIT	194 KB	Yes, WebGL 2 fallback	General 3D (Three.js)
Babylon.js 89,603 (9.28.0)	Apache-2.0	1,848 KB (UMD)	Yes, separate engine	3D apps, games (Babylon.js)
PlayCanvas 62,178 engine (2.22.4)	MIT	632 KB	Yes	Games, editor workflow

All ten are permissively licensed open source; the costs lie in services such as Cesium ion or MapTiler 21,580 tiles, the PlayCanvas Editor, Unity 2,152 above its revenue threshold and Sketchfab 2,761 's paid tiers.

Gzipped JavaScript size of ten WebGL libraries on a log scale, coloured by whether each has a WebGPU path, with license and best useHTMLLive

<!doctype html>
<style>
  body { margin: 0; font: 11px system-ui, sans-serif; background: #f7f4ee; color: #333; }
  .wrap { position: relative; max-width: 600px; }
  canvas { display: block; width: 100%; }
  .lbl { position: absolute; transform: translateY(-50%); white-space: nowrap; font-size: 10.5px; }
  .key { max-width: 600px; margin: 4px 8px; }
  .key span { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; margin: 0 4px 0 12px; vertical-align: -1px; }
</style>
<div class="wrap"><canvas id="c" width="600" height="340"></canvas></div>
<div class="key"><span style="background:#2a9d8f"></span>WebGPU path <span style="background:#e09a10"></span>separate package or engine
  <span style="background:#8a8378"></span>WebGL only</div>
<script>
// [library (version), license, gzipped KB, WebGPU: 2 yes, 1 separate, 0 no, best for]  (npm and jsDelivr, 26 September 2026)
const rows = [['twgl.js 7.0.0', 'MIT', 29, 0, 'raw WebGL, less typing'], ['regl 2.1.1', 'MIT', 28, 0, 'data-driven shaders'],
  ['OGL 1.0.11', 'Unlicense', 39, 0, 'light 3D, effects'], ['Three.js 0.186.1', 'MIT', 194, 2, 'general 3D'],
  ['PixiJS 8.21.0', 'MIT', 233, 2, '2D games, sprites'], ['MapLibre GL 6.11.2', 'BSD-3', 302, 0, 'vector maps'],
  ['deck.gl 9.4.0', 'MIT', 575, 1, 'large data layers'], ['PlayCanvas 2.22.4', 'MIT', 632, 2, 'games, editor'],
  ['CesiumJS 1.145.0', 'Apache-2.0', 1753, 0, 'globes, 3D Tiles'], ['Babylon.js 9.28.0', 'Apache-2.0', 1848, 1, '3D apps, games']];
const colours = [[0.54, 0.51, 0.47], [0.88, 0.6, 0.06], [0.16, 0.62, 0.56]];
const gl = document.getElementById('c').getContext('webgl2');
const wrap = document.querySelector('.wrap');
const left = 118, right = 420, top0 = 20, rowH = 30;
const x = (kb) => left + Math.log10(kb / 10) / Math.log10(3000 / 10) * (right - left);   // 10 KB to 3,000 KB, log scale
gl.enable(gl.SCISSOR_TEST);
gl.clearColor(0.97, 0.96, 0.93, 1); gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
for (const kb of [10, 30, 100, 300, 1000, 3000]) {                   // grid lines, bottom-left origin for scissor
  gl.scissor(Math.round(x(kb)), 340 - top0 - rows.length * rowH, 1, rows.length * rowH);
  gl.clearColor(0.82, 0.79, 0.74, 1); gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
  wrap.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `<div class="lbl" style="left:${x(kb) / 6 - 2}%;top:${(top0 + rows.length * rowH + 10) / 3.4}%;color:#888">${kb >= 1000 ? kb / 1000 + ' MB' : kb + ' KB'}</div>`);
}
rows.forEach(([name, license, kb, webgpu, use], i) => {
  const y = top0 + i * rowH;
  gl.scissor(left, 340 - y - rowH + 6, Math.round(x(kb) - left), rowH - 12);
  gl.clearColor(...colours[webgpu], 1); gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
  const mid = (y + rowH / 2) / 3.4;
  wrap.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `<div class="lbl" style="left:1%;top:${mid}%"><b>${name}</b></div>` +
    `<div class="lbl" style="left:${(x(kb) + 5) / 6}%;top:${mid}%">${kb.toLocaleString()} KB</div>` +
    `<div class="lbl" style="left:${(right + 50) / 6}%;top:${mid}%;color:#666">${license}<br>${use}</div>`);
});
</script>

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