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Playnite vs Steam: catalog facts
Playnite	Steam
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence, with no paid features.	Freemium The client is free; games and other content are bought individually.
Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Links Steam, Epic, EA App, GOG, Battle.net and Ubisoft Connect libraries, installed or not Console emulator support, so retro and modern games share one library	Native client for Windows, macOS and Linux Large store with free and paid games
Windows 10 or 11 only Metadata comes from IGDB, so obscure titles may need manual editing	Requires a Steam account Closed source
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: MIT	License not stated
No account needed	Account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.