Unity is used by different kinds of people around the world. Unity is a hobby tool, a professional tool, and a complete solution for business. You just have to select the right plan based on your needs. In this post, we will compare the features and price of Unity Free vs plus vs pro in detail. If you are totally new to Unity then don’t forget to check out our How to learn Unity guide.
Though Unity plus and pro is not a requirement to make games, buying a plus or pro subscription gives a lot of advantage over the personal plan. Unity has announced a price rise for both plus and pro subscriptions from January 1st, 2020.
The main advantage of having a pro or plus subscription is analytics and earning capabilities. Before the comparison you must know some details listed below, so you will be able to decide if you need a Unity plus or pro subscription.
Unity Free vs Pro main difference
1. Unity Core Analytics
Unity Analytics is free and most of the data you require can be obtained in the Unity personal version itself. The plus version gives you live data compared to the free version where there is a delay before you can see the data. Pro gives you the ability to export data to an external analysis tool and access to the heat map asset available in the asset store.
2. Advanced cloud diagnostic
This is really helpful in improving the user experience. You can get an insight into bugs and issues in your game before the user reports it. It makes it easy for you and your testers to collect and share crash and exception reports and user-generated feedback, during development and after launch, and keep users satisfied.
3. Splash Screen Customization
We want our games to show our logo and not Unity logo. This option is not available in Unity free. You can customize the splash screen in both Unity plus and pro.
4. Income Limit
You can use the free version only till your revenue is less than $100K/yr. After that you need to buy the Pro or Plus subscription based on the income you make from your game.
5. Discount on Unity Assets
Pro users get regular discounts on Unity Assets and also get some paid assets for free along with the plan. If you buy many Unity assets for your game then you might consider the Pro version.
6. Cannot publish to console
Starting from 2021, Unity announced that its user won’t be able to publish to console platforms with Unity pro subscription. So, if you are planning to make a game for console then Unity pro is a must.
Unity Plus vs Pro
| UNITY | PLUS | PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Unity personal + Advanced cloud diagnostic, Core analytics, access to unity learn premium, Editor UI skin. 25GB storage in unity teams, Splash screen customization. | Unity plus + analytics data export, Unity success adviser, priority queue, Art asset pack, 3 seats in unity teams |
| For whom? | Revenue or funding is less than @200K in the last 12 months. | Revenue or funding is greater than @200K in the last 12 months. |
| How much is it worth? | Unity learn worth $15/mo or $99/year. Unity teams worth $9/mo. You also get discounts on some assets in the asset store | Unity learn worth $15/mo or $99/year and art asset worth $130. Unity team worth $9/mo and unlimited earning potential. You also get discounts on some assets in the asset store |
| Should you buy it? | If you are serious about game development or have a small business then plus is right for you. | If you are a professional developer with unlimited earnings then pro is the key to scale up your business. |
| Where to buy? | Unity store for Plus | Unity Store for Pro |
| Console Publishing | NO | YES |
Unity Plus price
The cost of Unity plus plan is $399/yr per seat if paid yearly or $40/mo per seat if paid monthly.
Unity Pro Price
A Unity pro subscription costs $2040/yr per seat if paid yearly or $185/mo per seat if paid monthly.
Conclusion: Unity Plus vs Pro
Unity free license has no limitations when it comes to game making. The Unity plus or pro requirement comes in when you are making money with your games or if you want to publish to consoles.
If you are considering scaling up your game development and expect monetary returns then Unity plus or pro is a requirement. Both Unity plus and pro have the tools needed for you to grow your game development business to the next level. Which one to buy depends on what tools you need.