Skip to content

Comparison

GameMaker vs Phaser

	GameMaker	Phaser
What it says it does	GameMakerMake a game with GameMaker, the best free video game engine. Perfect for beginners and professionals. Learn to build your own 2D indie games with our simple tutorials.	PhaserPhaser is a long-running open-source HTML5 game framework from Phaser Studio, now paired with Phaser AE, a browser workspace with tools, bots and expansion packs that spend credits to make art, music, sound, designs and builds.
Pricing	GameMakerFree for non-commercial use (all desktop, web, mobile and GX.games exports, no watermark); Professional $99.99 one-time commercial licence; Enterprise subscription (monthly or yearly) adds console exports and source code access (official)	PhaserPhaser framework free and open source; Phaser AE: start free and pay as you go with credits (3,500 credits for $10 up to 44,000 for $100, credits last a year); Pro $20/mo (8,000 credits a month, all 358 expansion packs including 195 Pro packs, bonus credits on top-ups); Teams plan by contact (official)
Website	GameMakerhttps://gamemaker.io/en	Phaserhttps://phaser.io/

Which tool for which job

GameMaker wins when you want a proven 2D engine with a one-time commercial licence and no royalties.

Phaser wins when you want a JavaScript game framework with optional AI-assisted asset tools.

Descriptions in the table come from each vendor's own site. This verdict is a fit call from those official pages as of 4 November 2026, not a shared benchmark or a hands-on score. Prices change, so confirm the pricing row on each tool page. How we review tools.

Keep exploring