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Game Development · head to head

Clickteam Fusion vs Photon Engine

C

Clickteam Fusion

Game Development

Professional visual game development software

From
$99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Photon Engine logo

Photon Engine

Game Development

Hosted multiplayer networking billed by concurrent users, not by seat or by player

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Photon Engine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Clickteam Fusion listed on Steam, the vendor's own storefront, at $99.99 for a perpetual licence of Clickteam Fusion 2.5, published directly by Clickteam; Photon Engine billing follows peak concurrent users, so a single stream or a launch weekend raises the bill immediately, and studios that cannot forecast concurrency cannot forecast the cost of their own launch.
  • They diverge on capability: Clickteam Fusion covers Visual event system, Photon Engine covers Concurrent user billing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clickteam Fusion and Photon Engine actually diverge.

Attributes where Clickteam Fusion and Photon Engine differ
AttributeClickteam FusionPhoton Engine
Starting price$99/one-timeFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by peak concurrent users
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, WebWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console
Founded1996Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Game Development).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Clickteam Fusion

  • Visual event system
  • Drag-and-drop interface
  • Physics engine
  • Sound and music
  • Sprite animation
  • Extensions support
  • Multi-core support
  • Fast compiler

Only in Photon Engine

  • Concurrent user billing
  • Photon Fusion
  • Photon Quantum
  • Photon Voice and Chat
  • Global relay
  • Matchmaking and rooms

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Clickteam Fusion

  • 2D game developmentnot Photon Engine
  • Professional gamesnot Photon Engine
  • Cross-platform developmentnot Photon Engine

Photon Engine

  • Adding multiplayer to a Unity game without hiring a network engineernot Clickteam Fusion
  • Competitive titles needing deterministic rollback rather than state synchronisationnot Clickteam Fusion
  • Games with a large but thinly spread player base, where concurrency stays low and per player pricing would cost morenot Clickteam Fusion
  • Training and simulation projects that need shared real-time state outside gamesnot Clickteam Fusion

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Clickteam Fusion

  • Listed on Steam, the vendor's own storefront, at $99.99 for a perpetual licence of Clickteam Fusion 2.5, published directly by Clickteam

Photon Engine

  • Billing follows peak concurrent users, so a single stream or a launch weekend raises the bill immediately, and studios that cannot forecast concurrency cannot forecast the cost of their own launch.
  • Exceeding the band does not degrade gracefully; additional players are refused connections until concurrency falls or the plan is upgraded, which is a visible outage to your players at the worst possible moment.
  • PUN, the product most tutorials and courses still teach, is legacy, so a large share of the learning material available online points new projects at the wrong SDK.
  • Self-hosting is an enterprise arrangement rather than a purchasable licence, so a studio that wants its servers on its own infrastructure for cost or compliance reasons cannot simply buy that.
  • It is a networking layer only; accounts, persistence, leaderboards, inventories and anti-cheat all come from other services, so the multiplayer stack ends up as several vendors rather than one.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clickteam Fusion

$99/one-time
  • Standard$99/one-time
    • Visual event editor
    • Desktop export
    • HTML5 export
  • Premium$199/one-time
    • All Standard features
    • Android export
    • iOS export

Photon Engine

Free
  • FreeFree
    • A small concurrent user allowance for development and early testing
    • All regions available
    • No time limit on the free tier
  • Entry band$9/month
    • Around one hundred concurrent users
    • Full SDK access
    • Regional server selection
  • Higher bands$undefined/month
    • Sold in steps up to tens of thousands of concurrent users
    • Price rises with each band rather than with total players
    • Enterprise and self-hosted arrangements handled directly by Exit Games

Which should you pick?

Choose Clickteam Fusion if

  • You need visual event system.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want drag-and-drop interface.
Clickteam Fusion review

Choose Photon Engine if

  • You need concurrent user billing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console.
  • You also want photon fusion.
Photon Engine review

Questions people ask

Is Clickteam Fusion or Photon Engine better?
Neither clearly leads. Clickteam Fusion starts at $99/one-time and Photon Engine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clickteam Fusion or Photon Engine?
Photon Engine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/one-time for Clickteam Fusion and Free for Photon Engine.
Does Clickteam Fusion or Photon Engine run on more platforms?
Clickteam Fusion runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web. Photon Engine runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Console.
Can I use Photon Engine for free?
Yes. Photon Engine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clickteam Fusion starts at $99/one-time.
What is Clickteam Fusion best used for?
Clickteam Fusion is most often used for 2d game development, professional games, cross-platform development. Of those, 2d game development and professional games are not what Photon Engine is typically brought in for.
What can Clickteam Fusion do that Photon Engine cannot?
Clickteam Fusion covers Visual event system, Drag-and-drop interface, Physics engine, Sound and music. Photon Engine covers Concurrent user billing, Photon Fusion, Photon Quantum, Photon Voice and Chat.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clickteam Fusion: Is there a free version of Clickteam Fusion?

Yes, Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Free Edition is available for download. The paid version offers additional features and capabilities.

Source
Photon Engine: What exactly is a concurrent user?

A player connected to Photon at that moment. Your plan is sized by the peak of that number, not by downloads, registered accounts or monthly actives.

Clickteam Fusion: What versions of Clickteam Fusion are available?

Clickteam offers Fusion 2.5 in Free Edition, standard edition, and Developer edition, as well as previous versions like Multimedia Fusion 2 and The Games Factory 2.

Source
Photon Engine: Which product should a new project use?

Fusion for most real-time games, Quantum where determinism matters such as fighting and competitive titles. PUN is legacy and should not start a new project despite the volume of tutorials.

Clickteam Fusion: What platforms can games made with Clickteam Fusion run on?

Clickteam Fusion supports multiple platforms with export modules for iOS, Android, HTML5, and Mac.

Source
Photon Engine: Does it work outside Unity?

Unity is the first-class target. Unreal and other engines are supported through Realtime SDKs with less coverage and slower feature parity.

Clickteam Fusion: Where can I find additional resources for Clickteam Fusion?

Clickteam provides tutorials, extensions, SDKs, and a community for support. You can also purchase additional graphics, sounds, and assets through their Asset Store.

Source
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