OpenBeam Cloud vs OpenBeam desktop
The same open-source engine, two ways to run it: hosted on our GPUs and streamed to your browser, or installed on your own machine.
OpenBeam is our open-source soft-body engine. You can use it two ways: OpenBeam Cloud, where it runs on our GPUs and streams to a browser tab, and OpenBeam desktop, where you run it on your own computer.
At a glance
| OpenBeam Cloud | OpenBeam desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On a cloud GPU we run. Your browser only decodes the video. | On your own computer. |
| Install | Nothing. Open cloud.openbeam.world in Chrome or Edge. | Install it on your machine. |
| Performance | The same server hardware for everyone; streamed at 1080p60 by default. | Depends on your CPU and GPU. |
| Your maps and vehicles | A cloud library, available in every session and shareable by link. | Files on your own machine. |
| Recording | A separate recorder saves the video, your inputs and the engine data without slowing the game. | The game's local recorder reads every frame back from the GPU, so the game runs slower while it records, and the raw frames are large. |
| Agents over MCP | Add https://cloud.openbeam.world/mcp to your AI app and sign in. It can start and end sessions for you. | The game has its own MCP server, which runs on your machine and is off unless you turn it on. |
| Working together | Everyone on the project opens the same tests from a browser, and you can share a mod by link. | Share files yourself. |
| Cost | Simulation hours by plan. See Plans, hours and billing. | Included with the Teams and Enterprise plans. |
Which to use
- Use OpenBeam Cloud when you don't want to provision a workstation, when several people need to open the same tests, when you want recordings without slowing the run, or when an agent should start and drive sessions on its own.
- Use OpenBeam desktop to iterate on a test on your own machine before you send it to OpenBeam Cloud, or when you need to work offline.
One engine
Both run the same OpenBeam engine, which models vehicles, robots and structures as nodes joined by beams. The engine is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.
To try OpenBeam desktop on a Teams or Enterprise plan, email Beshoy@openbeam.world.
