Airogel vs Roblox Studio
Both let you script 3D multiplayer games in a Lua dialect and publish without running a server. The differences are where the editor runs, where the game lives, and how money works.
The short version
Roblox Studio is a desktop application for building experiences that live inside the Roblox platform and its player base. Airogel is a browser-based engine for building games that live at their own web address, which anyone can open from a link without a Roblox account or app. If your goal is reaching Roblox's existing audience and earning Robux, use Roblox Studio. If your goal is a game you own on the open web, that friends join from a link, with an AI assistant and no install, Airogel is built for that.
Side by side
| Airogel | Roblox Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the editor runs | In a browser tab; nothing to install | Desktop app for Windows and macOS |
| Scripting language | Lua | Luau (Roblox's typed Lua dialect) |
| Where the game lives | Its own web address (yourgame.airogeledit.org), playable in any browser | Inside the Roblox app and website; players need a Roblox account |
| Multiplayer | Rooms of up to 8 players run on Airogel servers; three Lua runtimes (authority, presentation, prediction) | Roblox-hosted servers with client/server scripts and replication; larger player counts per server |
| Physics | Built-in rigid bodies, vehicles, ragdolls, soft bodies and characters, with nothing to set up | Roblox's own physics engine |
| AI assistance | Built-in assistant plus an MCP interface for Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and other clients | Roblox Assistant and related AI tools inside Studio |
| Cost to build | Free plan; Creator $8/month; Studio $20/month | Free |
| Monetisation | None built in; your game is a web page you control | Robux through game passes and developer products, with a platform share taken; cash out via DevEx once you meet Roblox's thresholds (13+ and a minimum Earned Robux balance) |
| Audience | Whoever you send the link to, or whoever finds your page | Roblox's discovery and existing player base |
| Mobile | Published games run in mobile browsers with touch controls and can be installed like an app | Roblox apps on iOS, Android, consoles and VR |
Where Roblox Studio is the better choice
- You want to reach Roblox's audience and be discoverable inside it.
- You plan to earn through Robux and DevEx and are comfortable with the platform's terms and revenue share.
- You need large server populations or console and VR players.
- You want the deep ecosystem of Roblox-specific tutorials, assets and community.
Where Airogel is the better choice
- You want the game on the open web at its own URL, playable with no account for single-player and only a free sign-in for rooms.
- You want to build from any machine, including a Chromebook or a shared computer, without installing a desktop app.
- You want an AI assistant to build and script with you, or to connect your own AI tool over MCP. Every Airogel demo was built that way.
- You want plain Lua you can read in every project, and a physics engine that handles cars, tanks, ragdolls and soft bodies with no setup.
- You are teaching: a browser tab per student, a link per game, no platform account for the audience.
Switching from Roblox Studio
If you know Luau, Airogel's Lua will feel familiar: lifecycle callbacks, an object API, input and collision events. The main differences are that Airogel has one gameObject API instead of Roblox's instance hierarchy, multiplayer is split into authority, presentation and prediction scripts rather than ServerScript and LocalScript, and there is no DataStore; persistent data uses gameStorage. Start with the Lua scripting overview and the multiplayer guide.
Roblox details are as described in Roblox's public documentation as of October 2026 and may change; check create.roblox.com for current terms. Roblox is a trademark of Roblox Corporation; Airogel is not affiliated with it.
Free to start. Nothing to install.