| Feature | Vulkan | DirectX 12 | OpenGL | Metal (Apple) | |---------|--------|------------|--------|---------------| | | Windows, Linux, Android, (macOS via MoltenVK) | Windows, Xbox | Cross-platform | Apple only | | CPU Overhead | Very low | Very low | Medium-High | Very low | | Multi-threading | Explicit, excellent | Explicit | Limited | Explicit | | Shading Language | SPIR-V | HLSL | GLSL | Metal Shading Language | | Memory Management | Manual | Manual | Mostly automatic | Semi-manual | | Target Audience | AAA games, CAD, compute | AAA games, Xbox | Legacy/portability | Apple ecosystem |