Yeah, GMS requires you to pay for the browser exports. But I think you should be able to export a desktop build without using an installer.
If you decide you don't want to pay for the web license, take a look at Godot. It's free and open source. I was using both GMS and Unity for years, and Godot seems to have all of the strengths of both of those engines combined into one. I made the switch 2 months ago and I've never enjoyed game development more.
I've been thinking about switching to a new software for a while now. I figured when Opera bought out Game Maker it would improve the development of the IDE, which it definitely did but it also turned everything into subscription based payments and that's super annoying. I'll probably give Godot a try since the indie dev community has been saying a lot of good things about it. I'm just so used to Game Maker and have all the hotkeys ingrained in my muscle memory that it can be hard embracing a new software.
Also thanks for checking out the YouTube channel, I'll be making a video on this game since the development was pretty fun and started out looking completely different from the final product!
