--- title: "holodeck vs VLN-CE" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/byu-pccl-holodeck-vs-jacobkrantz-vln-ce" tools: ["byu-pccl-holodeck", "jacobkrantz-vln-ce"] --- # holodeck vs VLN-CE *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 VLN-CE if vLN-CE provides Python-based resources for Vision-and-Language Navigation research using Habitat. It uses the MIT license but the datasets adhere to Matterport3D terms. [holodeck](https://holodeck.cs.byu.edu) reports 597 GitHub stars, 42 forks, and 52 open issues, last pushed Feb 19, 2022. [VLN-CE](https://jacobkrantz.github.io/vlnce/) has 844 stars, 90 forks, and 29 open issues, last pushed Jan 7, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [holodeck's repository](https://github.com/BYU-PCCL/holodeck) and [VLN-CE's repository](https://github.com/jacobkrantz/VLN-CE). | | [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) | [VLN-CE](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research | Vision-and-Language Navigation in Continuous Environments using Habitat | | Stars | 597 | 844 | | Forks | 42 | 90 | | Open issues | 52 | 29 | | Language | Python | Python | | 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. | VLN-CE provides Python-based resources for Vision-and-Language Navigation research using Habitat. It uses the MIT license but the datasets adhere to Matterport3D terms. | | 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) | [VLN-CE](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 1623d | 569d | | Open issues (now) | 52 | 29 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce/trust.md) | ## 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: VLN-CE - **Adopt for:** VLN-CE provides Python-based resources for Vision-and-Language Navigation research using Habitat. It uses the MIT license but the datasets adhere to Matterport3D terms. ## Choose when ### Choose holodeck if… - Tags unique to holodeck: drones, reinforcement-learning, simulator, unreal-engine. - - When you need to simulate complex robotics scenes in high fidelity that mirror real-world scenarios accurately ### Choose VLN-CE if… - Tags unique to VLN-CE: deep-learning, python, research. - When aiming to advance robotics navigation by training models on vision-language tasks with habitat-sim. - More GitHub stars (844 vs 597) - visibility, not fit. ## 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 VLN-CE - Avoid if your project needs fully open datasets, as some VLN-CE components are restricted by Matterport3D license terms. - Steer clear if you prefer tools with built-in support for environments other than those within the Habitat simulation framework. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between holodeck and VLN-CE? holodeck: High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research. VLN-CE: Vision-and-Language Navigation in Continuous Environments using Habitat. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose holodeck over VLN-CE? Choose holodeck over VLN-CE when Tags unique to holodeck: drones, reinforcement-learning, simulator, unreal-engine; - When you need to simulate complex robotics scenes in high fidelity that mirror real-world scenarios accurately. ### When should I choose VLN-CE over holodeck? Choose VLN-CE over holodeck when Tags unique to VLN-CE: deep-learning, python, research; When aiming to advance robotics navigation by training models on vision-language tasks with habitat-sim; More GitHub stars (844 vs 597) - visibility, not fit. ### 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 VLN-CE? Avoid if your project needs fully open datasets, as some VLN-CE components are restricted by Matterport3D license terms. Steer clear if you prefer tools with built-in support for environments other than those within the Habitat simulation framework. ### Is holodeck or VLN-CE more popular on GitHub? VLN-CE has more GitHub stars (844 vs 597). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are holodeck and VLN-CE open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (holodeck: MIT, VLN-CE: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to holodeck or VLN-CE? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [holodeck alternatives](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives) and [VLN-CE alternatives](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce/alternatives) ([holodeck markdown twin](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives.md), [VLN-CE markdown twin](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce/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-jacobkrantz-vln-ce.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, holodeck or VLN-CE? holodeck: Dormant. VLN-CE: Dormant. 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 VLN-CE? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [holodeck trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust); [VLN-CE trust report](/tools/jacobkrantz-vln-ce/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/_