# Magic River vs Nom Plant

The clearest difference is rating: Nom Plant at 4.6 against Magic River's 3.2. Nom Plant also leads on ratings volume (36K vs 196) and review sentiment (47% vs 33%). Magic River's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Magic River sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nom Plant sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nom Plant holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nom Plant has 36K ratings behind it against 196, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Magic River's written reviews are positive against 47% of Nom Plant's.

Magic River ships an update monthly, Nom Plant every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic River | Nom Plant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (196 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-river/id1003415673/reviews) | **[4.6 (36K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nom-plant/id1449269813/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 196 | **36K** |
| Positive reviews | 32.9% of reviews | **47.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 182 MB | 150 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) | [Lucky Kat Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/498980984) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic River

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-river/id1003415673)

Navigate a boat down a river, avoiding obstacles and exploring various locations. Collect gems to unlock new characters and boats. Simple tap controls change the boat's direction.

**Highlights:** River navigation, Obstacle avoidance, Location exploration, Gem collection, Character unlocks, Boat customization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🕹️ Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Fun and challenging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🌀 Ads disrupt gameplay
- 🐛 Glitchy controls
- 🕰️ Repetitive scenery

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes frequently
- Boat movement not responsive
- Leaderboard not updating properly

**Requested features**

- Ability to skip difficult missions
- More varied environments and obstacles
- Option to disable ads for a fee


### Nom Plant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nom-plant/id1449269813)

Control a growing plant, collect coins and candies, and avoid obstacles. Expand your collection of plants and pots as you achieve new lengths. Can you collect them all?

**Highlights:** One touch controls, Smooth gameplay, Beautiful HD graphics, Haptic feedback, Plant and pot collection, Coin and candy collection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| King Plants Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| No Forced Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| 500 Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1100 Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 7000 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🥳 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Cute and creative graphics
- 🕹️ Simple but engaging mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Too many ads
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🤯 Levels get repetitive

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when collecting rewards
- Crashes on higher levels
- Inability to progress past certain levels

**Requested features**

- Reduce ad frequency
- Add more level variety and challenges
- Implement cloud save feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic River free?

Magic River is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nom Plant free?

Nom Plant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Magic River or Nom Plant?

Nom Plant is rated higher. Magic River averages 3.2 out of 5 from 196 ratings, while Nom Plant averages 4.6 from 36K ratings.

### Do Magic River or Nom Plant have ads?

Nom Plant shows ads; Magic River does not.

### Which is updated more often, Magic River or Nom Plant?

Magic River ships an update monthly, and Nom Plant every 6 weeks. Most recently, Magic River was updated on October 4, 2026 and Nom Plant on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*