Free Unity Leaderboards

RankDrop is a lightweight, self-hosted leaderboard solution built for Unity games. It is completely free, open source under Apache 2.0, has no monthly fees, and gives you full control over your data.

This guide covers the manual self-hosted setup. It usually takes 45-60 minutes.

What You Get

Leaderboard Modes

Global leaderboards for permanent progression.
Seasonal leaderboards for resets, events, and fresh competition.

Core API

Simple score submission from your Unity client.
Top score retrieval with pagination for scalable UI screens.

Customization

The stack stays lightweight, so it is easy to customize, extend, and fit into your own deployment workflow.

Quick Start

Clone the repository.

git clone https://github.com/Brainzy/rankdrop.git
cd rankdrop

Run the backend. Docker is the easiest path.
```
docker compose up -d
```
Integrate with Unity using the included client scripts or Unity package. Configure your server URL and API key in your project.

Submit a Score

await RankDrop.SubmitScore(playerName, score);

Fetch Top Scores

var leaderboard = await RankDrop.GetTopScores(limit: 10);

Full API details and setup examples live in the RankDrop GitHub README.

When to Use Open Source

You have time and you are open to learning some backend or DevoOps if needed
You want complete control and no vendor lock-in.
You are comfortable managing your own server, VPS, Docker deployment, and updates.

Faster Alternatives

Option	Setup Time	Cost	Best For
Open Source RankDrop	45-60 minutes	Free	DIY developers, full control
RankDrop Unity Asset	~60 seconds	One-time fee	Indies who want speed
TurnKit Hosted SaaS	Under 5 minutes	Usage-based	Games that scale without DevOps

Pro tip: Many developers start with the free open-source version, then move to hosted infrastructure when their game gains traction and they no longer want to manage servers, scaling, or restart recovery.

Next Steps

Ready to try it? Head to the GitHub repo or compare all three paths on the Leaderboard Options for Unity Games page.

Questions or running into issues? Open a GitHub issue, or continue with TurnKit Leaderboards if you want a docs-native reference for the hosted alternative.

If you are replacing a manual setup later, keep your Unity integration boundary narrow: centralize calls like SubmitScore and GetTopScores behind one service so migration stays cheap.