GameMaker vs Pocket Code

GameMaker is game-development software with visual scripting, multiplayer tools, and export options for mobile and consoles. Projects can use GML Code or GML Visual. Listed targets include GX.games, Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, HTML5, Android, iOS, tvOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. The free plan costs nothing and is limited to non-commercial use, without console exports. Professional is listed at $99.99 a month, with a commercial licence and desktop, web, and mobile exports; its billing note says one-time purchase. Enterprise is listed at $79.99 a month, billed monthly, and includes a commercial licence, console exports, and source code access. The pricing note says paid plans start at $79.99/mo. GameMaker’s source code model is listed as source available, and the maker is headquartered in Dundee, Scotland. The platform list also includes Linux, macOS, and Windows. Plan details distinguish non-commercial use from commercial licensing and specify export access, so intended use and target platforms are relevant when selecting a tier.

Pocket Code is a free Android and iOS app for building programs, games, animations, and stories with visual, Lego-like Catrobat programming bricks. Its blocks include if-else statements, loops, variables, mathematical functions, and access to phone sensors. Users can browse, download, review, and remix community programs in the Explore section and on pocketcode.org. Hardware extensions connect Arduino boards, LEGO Mindstorms robots, Phiro robots, and Raspberry Pi projects. Arduino works over Bluetooth for changing digital and PWM pins and reading analog pins. Mindstorms connects robots over Bluetooth for programming and control, while Raspberry Pi bricks read and set pins for IoT programs. Catrobat presents the app for constructive learning and classroom use, with project-based learning and computer-science topics. A wiki and free English- and German-language MOOC provide learning support. Project hosting is no longer offered as a service, although the media library remains available through the wiki. The nonprofit open-source project is driven by the International Catrobat Association and Graz University of Technology’s Institute of Software Technology.