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I'm thinking about using CAAT as a part of a HTML5 game engine. One of it's features is the ability to render to Canvas and WebGL without changing anything in the client code. That is a good thing, but I haven't found precisely: what are the differences between those two technologies?

I would specially like to know the differences of Canvas and WebGL in the following regards:

  • Framerate
  • Desktop browser support
  • Mobile browser support
  • Futureproofability (TM)
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    \$\begingroup\$ I would imagine this varies from project to project and platform to platform. I would guess it's not answerable with a definitive answer. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 2:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ Technically, you need a canvas element to render with WebGL, so it's better to refer to the Canvas 2D Context. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 8:56

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  1. Framerate varies by browser. A few still do not support accelerated canvas rendering, others don't support WebGL at all. Best bet is to profile actual code on actual target hardware/browsers to determine which performs best for your specific needs and user demographics.

  2. WebGL is only supported on IE in version 11+ but canvas has been supported for several versions. Consider the current market share of older versions of IE.

  3. WebGL support is sometimes blacklisted by the browser on older hardware or drivers. When it comes to support, you need to consider this in addition to the minimum browser versions, and clearly communicate these requirements to customers.

  4. Few mobile browsers support WebGL today. They mostly all support canvas.

  5. Both canvas and WebGL are around to stay. Neither is more future proof than the other.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I'm curious what game did you ship? I'm always interested in WebGL related topics and I've seen very view commercial WebGL games. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 4:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ More info on WebGL support: caniuse.com/webgl. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 12:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ Since this reply was given, WebGL support has grown a lot. It's supported in the latest version of Internet Explorer, works in Chrome, Firefox (although you have to use "experimental-webgl"), and Opera. It's also supported in Safari, although it's disabled by default. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Dec 23, 2013 at 11:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Notch: Right. Two years is a long time for the Web. Mobile is the big issue right now, particularly on the ever-important iOS, but that'll surely come around before too long. I'll update the answer for the IE part though as I clearly failed to predict that one. :) \$\endgroup\$ Commented Dec 23, 2013 at 18:10
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    \$\begingroup\$ Can someone update this answer for 2018? Thanks \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 16, 2018 at 12:39

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