i was into gurps before i started with fate and i think i gave the wrong impression because they're not really similar. fate points are not used during character creation, but are an actual physical token that is actively used during sessions. you can collect them by playing into your characters weaknesses, and pay others to play into theirs, including npcs and the world itself. they're metagaming coins basically.

the central conceit of fate is that characters are very free-form. there are no fixed skills, quirks, or features. instead, your character aspects, the short descriptions of who your character is and can do, are mechanically relevant. if your character concept is a "brash, handsome rogue with a heart of gold", you will be able to easily talk your way through situations, but you are also impulsive and prone to selfless heroics. if you're trying to save yourself escaping a sinking ship, the gm can go "actually i don't think you're the kind of guy to leave a beautiful lady behind" and toss you a coin and you either have to go back for that npc without thinking of the consequences, or make a counter offer that costs you points. other players can also compel you to do things by paying you points, and you can compel them, or npcs with known aspects.

this tying of the rp to actual game boons, as contrasted to the vague "you sure roled that play, so you got +1" stuff you tend to get in more crunchy systems. this also results in points trading hands constantly, as the players learn about eachothers characters and lean into the failures.