--- title: "holodeck vs carla" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/byu-pccl-holodeck-vs-carla-simulator-carla" tools: ["byu-pccl-holodeck", "carla-simulator-carla"] --- # holodeck vs carla *GraphCanon updated Jul 31, 2026* ## Verdict Pick holodeck if holodeck is a high-fidelity simulator for reinforcement learning and robotics research in Python using Unreal Engine, suited for creating detailed simulated environments; pick carla if cARLA is suitable for teams focusing on autonomous driving research with high-fidelity sensor data and environmental modeling needs. [holodeck](https://holodeck.cs.byu.edu) reports 597 GitHub stars, 42 forks, and 52 open issues, last pushed Feb 19, 2022. [carla](http://carla.org) has 14k stars, 4.6k forks, and 1.2k open issues, last pushed Jul 26, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [holodeck's repository](https://github.com/BYU-PCCL/holodeck) and [carla's repository](https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla). | | [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) | [carla](/tools/carla-simulator-carla.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research | Open-source simulator for autonomous driving research | | Stars | 597 | 14,234 | | Forks | 42 | 4,644 | | Open issues | 52 | 1,183 | | Language | Python | C++ | | Adopt for | Holodeck is a high-fidelity simulator for reinforcement learning and robotics research in Python using Unreal Engine, suited for creating detailed simulated environments. | CARLA is suitable for teams focusing on autonomous driving research with high-fidelity sensor data and environmental modeling needs. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | Computer Vision, Model Training | Computer Vision, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) | [carla](/tools/carla-simulator-carla.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 1623d | 4d | | Open issues (now) | 52 | 1.2k | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/carla-simulator-carla/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) - Python runtime; [carla](/tools/carla-simulator-carla.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: holodeck - **Adopt for:** Holodeck is a high-fidelity simulator for reinforcement learning and robotics research in Python using Unreal Engine, suited for creating detailed simulated environments. ## Decision facts: carla - **Adopt for:** CARLA is suitable for teams focusing on autonomous driving research with high-fidelity sensor data and environmental modeling needs. ## Choose when ### Choose holodeck if… - holodeck is primarily Python; carla is C++. - Tags unique to holodeck: drones, reinforcement-learning, robotics, simulator. - - When you need to simulate complex robotics scenes in high fidelity that mirror real-world scenarios accurately ### Choose carla if… - carla is primarily C++; holodeck is Python. - Tags unique to carla: artificial-intelligence, autonomous-driving, deep-learning, deep-reinforcement-learning. - When your project requires Unreal Engine 5.5 capabilities for realistic simulation of complex autonomous vehicle scenarios ## When NOT to use holodeck - - If your project is limited to simpler scenarios where less detailed simulations are acceptable for training reinforcement learning models - - For projects with constraints on computing resources since Unreal Engine can be demanding and this limits its use in resource-constrained environments. ## When NOT to use carla - If your project or research does not require the advanced features of Unreal Engine 5.5 and you are constrained by older hardware or software like Windows 10 or Ubuntu 20.04 - When your immediate focus is on rapid deployment rather than simulation, as setting up CARLA requires significant setup time due to its system requirements - If your project focuses on non-autonomous driving applications where the specialized assets and simulations of CARLA may not be directly applicable ## Common questions ### What is the difference between holodeck and carla? holodeck: High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research. carla: Open-source simulator for autonomous driving research. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose holodeck over carla? Choose holodeck over carla when holodeck is primarily Python; carla is C++; Tags unique to holodeck: drones, reinforcement-learning, robotics, simulator; - When you need to simulate complex robotics scenes in high fidelity that mirror real-world scenarios accurately. ### When should I choose carla over holodeck? Choose carla over holodeck when carla is primarily C++; holodeck is Python; Tags unique to carla: artificial-intelligence, autonomous-driving, deep-learning, deep-reinforcement-learning; When your project requires Unreal Engine 5.5 capabilities for realistic simulation of complex autonomous vehicle scenarios. ### When should I avoid holodeck? - If your project is limited to simpler scenarios where less detailed simulations are acceptable for training reinforcement learning models - For projects with constraints on computing resources since Unreal Engine can be demanding and this limits its use in resource-constrained environments. ### When should I avoid carla? If your project or research does not require the advanced features of Unreal Engine 5.5 and you are constrained by older hardware or software like Windows 10 or Ubuntu 20.04 When your immediate focus is on rapid deployment rather than simulation, as setting up CARLA requires significant setup time due to its system requirements If your project focuses on non-autonomous driving applications where the specialized assets and simulations of CARLA may not be directly applicable ### Is holodeck or carla more popular on GitHub? carla has more GitHub stars (14,234 vs 597). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are holodeck and carla open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (holodeck: MIT, carla: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to holodeck or carla? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [holodeck alternatives](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives) and [carla alternatives](/tools/carla-simulator-carla/alternatives) ([holodeck markdown twin](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives.md), [carla markdown twin](/tools/carla-simulator-carla/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/byu-pccl-holodeck-vs-carla-simulator-carla.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, holodeck or carla? holodeck: Dormant. carla: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for holodeck and carla? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [holodeck trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust); [carla trust report](/tools/carla-simulator-carla/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=byu-pccl-holodeck`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=byu-pccl-holodeck) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_