itch.io
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you're an indie dev publishing free or experimental games, or hosting jams . it costs nothing and PCMag rates it well.
Comparison
itch.io vs Steam
itch.io lands on Depends, and Steam lands on Worth it.
Steam
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
If you play PC games, Steam is the default storefront . free to join, with the deepest catalog, community, and hardware ecosystem.
| Compare | itch.io | Steam |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Indie devs releasing free or experimental games | PC gamers |
| Who it's not for | Studios relying on it as their main revenue channel | Non-gamers . it's a game store, not work software |
| Privacy | Solid posture: CyStack scores 88.8/100, 2FA and upload malware scanning available . but fake-update malware campaigns have targeted users.12 | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.15 |
| Support quality | Slow responses, payout delay complaints | No evidence found on support quality |
| Public sentiment | Users like as a free, friendly home for indie games but complain about slow payouts, slow support, and weak discoverability.² | User threads mostly welcome newcomers; recurring gripes are low-quality reviews and account theft, not the store itself. |
| Biggest gotcha | Payout delays documented . one dev waited over 100 days³ | Wallet funds and refund credits keep money locked inside the store |
Pick itch.io when
- Indie devs releasing free or experimental games
- Game jam hosts and participants
- Hobbyists selling pay-what-you-want titles
- Players hunting niche indie games
When itch.io is not a fit
- Studios relying on it as their main revenue channel
- Devs needing fast, predictable payouts
- Anyone expecting strong organic discoverability
- Teams needing enterprise support or SLAs
Pick Steam when
- PC gamers
- Deal hunters
- Indie game developers
- VR players via SteamVR
When Steam is not a fit
- Non-gamers . it's a game store, not work software
- Console-only players on PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch
- Developers unwilling to pay $99 to publish
- Players who refuse client software or DRM
Sources
- itch.io Review - PCMagpcmag.comreview
- itch.io Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
review
- r/itchio - Redditreddit.comreview
- Creator FAQitch.ioofficial
- Pricingitch.ioofficial
official
- Secure your account with 2FAitch.ioofficial
- Itch.io - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
security
- Itch.io Lumma Stealer, Reflective Node.js Loadersecurityonline.infosecurity
- Welcome to Steam (official store)store.steampowered.comofficial
- Steamworks Partner Program . Steam Directpartner.steamgames.comofficial
- Steam product security pagestore.steampowered.comsecurity
- Steam Hardware & Software Surveystore.steampowered.comofficial