---
title: "holodeck vs AirSim"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/byu-pccl-holodeck-vs-microsoft-airsim"
tools: ["byu-pccl-holodeck", "microsoft-airsim"]
---

# holodeck vs AirSim

*GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick holodeck when holodeck is primarily Python; AirSim is C++; pick AirSim when airSim is primarily C++; holodeck is Python.

[holodeck](https://holodeck.cs.byu.edu) reports 596 GitHub stars, 42 forks, and 52 open issues, last pushed Feb 19, 2022. [AirSim](https://microsoft.github.io/AirSim/) has 18k stars, 4.9k forks, and 723 open issues, last pushed Jun 30, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [holodeck's repository](https://github.com/BYU-PCCL/holodeck) and [AirSim's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/AirSim).

| | [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) | [AirSim](/tools/microsoft-airsim.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research. | Open source simulator for autonomous vehicles built on Unreal Engine / Unity, from Microsoft AI & Research |
| Stars | 596 | 18,296 |
| Forks | 42 | 4,903 |
| Open issues | 52 | 723 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Adopt for | - | - |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Categories | Computer Vision | AI Agents, Computer Vision |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [holodeck](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck.md) | [AirSim](/tools/microsoft-airsim.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Active (82%) |
| Days since push | 1603d | 10d |
| Open issues (now) | 52 | 723 |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-airsim/trust.md) |

## Choose when

### Choose holodeck if…

- holodeck is primarily Python; AirSim is C++.
- License: holodeck is MIT, AirSim is Other.
- Tags unique to holodeck: reinforcement-learning-environments, research, reinforcement-learning, drones.

### Choose AirSim if…

- AirSim is primarily C++; holodeck is Python.
- License: AirSim is Other, holodeck is MIT.
- Tags unique to AirSim: autonomous-quadcoptor, airsim, artificial-intelligence, cross-platform.
- Also covers AI Agents.

## When NOT to use holodeck

- Last GitHub push was 1604 days ago (dormant maintenance, Feb 19, 2022). Validate activity before betting a new project on holodeck.

## When NOT to use AirSim

- AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between holodeck and AirSim?

holodeck: High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research.. AirSim: Open source simulator for autonomous vehicles built on Unreal Engine / Unity, from Microsoft AI & Research. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose holodeck over AirSim?

Choose holodeck over AirSim when holodeck is primarily Python; AirSim is C++; License: holodeck is MIT, AirSim is Other; Tags unique to holodeck: reinforcement-learning-environments, research, reinforcement-learning, drones.

### When should I choose AirSim over holodeck?

Choose AirSim over holodeck when AirSim is primarily C++; holodeck is Python; License: AirSim is Other, holodeck is MIT; Tags unique to AirSim: autonomous-quadcoptor, airsim, artificial-intelligence, cross-platform; Also covers AI Agents.

### When should I avoid holodeck?

Last GitHub push was 1604 days ago (dormant maintenance, Feb 19, 2022). Validate activity before betting a new project on holodeck.

### When should I avoid AirSim?

AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism.

### Is holodeck or AirSim more popular on GitHub?

AirSim has more GitHub stars (18,296 vs 596). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are holodeck and AirSim open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (holodeck: MIT, AirSim: Other).

### Where can I find alternatives to holodeck or AirSim?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [holodeck alternatives](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives) and [AirSim alternatives](/tools/microsoft-airsim/alternatives) ([holodeck markdown twin](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/alternatives.md), [AirSim markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-airsim/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-microsoft-airsim.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, holodeck or AirSim?

holodeck: Dormant. AirSim: 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 AirSim?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [holodeck trust report](/tools/byu-pccl-holodeck/trust); [AirSim trust report](/tools/microsoft-airsim/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/_