Comparison

Don't get fired! vs The Startup

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Don't get fired!

A hardcore survival game where you navigate the harsh realities of the corporate world. Start as an intern with nothing and climb the company ladder to become president. Experience challenging work conditions and make your career dreams come true.

Highlights
  • Climb the company ladder
  • Start as an intern
  • Experience harsh working conditions
  • Simple controls
  • Survival gameplay
Features
Read full description

Viral sensation in Korea! 1 Million downloaded indie game! Job seekers destroyed their cell phones, and contract workers cried like little girls after they played this game! Hardcore company survival… ‘Don’t get fired!’ has finally arrived! For all job seekers!! ‘Don’t get fired!’, is a survival game where you get to play a character who has no money, no connections whatsoever. You need to make him climb up the company ladder from an ‘intern’ to the ‘president’. You can play ‘Don’t get fired!’ for free! Experience the extremely harsh working conditions in Korea with simple control! How many companies will you have to go through to become the president? To all tired, and frustrated job seekers and contract workers! Make your dream come true in this game! Until you get to the top of the ladder… Don’t. get. fired! [No matter what you expect, you will see more XD] ---------------------------------------------- Send me an email if you have any questions or requests. quick_turtle_en@naver.com

About

The Startup

Build and manage your own Silicon Valley startup in this interactive role-playing simulation. Recruit a team, develop products, secure funding, and navigate business challenges to become a successful tycoon. Your choices shape your unique startup story.

Highlights
  • Build and manage a startup
  • Recruit a team of specialists
  • Develop and market products
  • Secure venture capital
  • Real estate management
  • Choose-your-own-story gameplay
  • Business simulation
Features
Read full description

Would you like to be the CEO of a new startup company in Silicon Valley? "The Startup" is a new exciting role-playing simulation game that will allow you to be the head of a huge and promising startup. You'll have to recruit an awesome team of specialists, create your own exciting product, bring it to the market, find venture investors, and get rich. You have control of the most ambitious startup in Silicon Valley. Can your company become successful and be on top? With multiple episodes and chapters, you'll face a variety of business challenges and have the opportunity to craft your own unique startup story through the choices you make. Play as a business sim, testing your skills in a realistic setting, and feel like a true business tycoon. The Startup: Interactive Game is a perfect blend of business game and interactive story for those who love both story games and role-playing. Everything depends on you in the new exciting game - "The Startup"! Features: - A realistic setting that allows players to feel like a true business tycoon - Business simulation gameplay that allows players to make financial and real estate decisions to grow their company - Choose-your-own-story element where players can craft a unique startup story through the choices they make - Multiple episodes and chapters that provide a variety of business challenges for players to overcome - Real estate management gameplay that includes buying and selling properties to expand the company - Interesting and unforgettable story - The sophisticated role-playing management system of a company - Micromanaging your own company using your budget - Multiple endings - Various role-play mechanics - Intuitive and user-friendly game interface Subscription: Recurring billing. Cancel anytime. You can subscribe to get ads-free gameplay, no waiting time and all the chapters of the game or subscribe to access in-game banking plans for the duration of your subscription. The subscription is $4.99 weekly, $39.99 yearly and $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $29.99 weekly*. You'll be able to get ads-free gameplay, no waiting time and all the chapters of the game for the duration of your subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off for at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen package. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can read our privacy policy and terms of use at https://ledgroup.org/terms. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. *Prices are equal to the value that "Apple's App Store Matrix" determines is the equivalent of the subscription price in $USD. By using Startup, you agree to our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines available at https://ledgroup.org/terms

Screenshots

Don't get fired!4 screens
The Startup4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Don't get fired! at 84% against The Startup's 5%. Don't get fired! also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.9) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). The Startup's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (11 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Don't get fired! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and The Startup sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Don't get fired! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.6K and 20K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Don't get fired!'s written reviews are positive against 5% of The Startup's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Don't get fired! ships an update every 3 months, The Startup every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Don't get fired! versus The Startup: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDon't get fired!The Startup
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8.6K ratings) — better3.9 (20K ratings)
Positive reviews84.4% of reviews — better5.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8.6K20K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.011 — better
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB153 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperQuickTurtle Co., Ltd.Wolf Gaming

Customer experience

Don't get fired!

All ratings8,512 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews2,181 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative8.8%

The Startup

All ratings20,276 ratings
Positive73.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews1,182 reviews
Positive5.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative90.7%

User reviews

Don't get fired!

From 8.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Engaging corporate ladder climbing
  • 💡 Unique and relatable concept
  • 🤗 Humorous and self-aware
  • 🔥 Challenging but rewarding progression

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and high grind
  • 🤯 Extremely difficult to avoid getting fired
  • 💰 Monetization through ads and IAPs
  • 🤔 Lack of customization options

The Startup

From 20K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Creative concept
  • 🚀 Interesting business simulation
  • 👍 Great graphics and UI

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive monetization and paywalls
  • ⏱️ Frequent long wait times
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 📖 Too much reading, not enough gameplay
  • 💰 Overpriced in-app purchases

Bugs and requests

Don't get fired!

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to click on managers/higher-ups
  • Part-time job feature not working properly
  • Promotion chance resetting after failed promotions
  • Inconsistent responsiveness of UI elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable character and appearance
  • Retain promotion progress after getting fired
  • More upgrades and challenges to acquire
  • Detailed background on higher-level characters
  • Adjustable UI element sizes

The Startup

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Purchases not registering correctly
  • Inconsistent and confusing UI

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to go back and change previous decisions
  • More freedom and control over business decisions
  • Longer and more engaging gameplay

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Don't get fired!

One-time10
  • Charging challenge count$0.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 1$0.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 2$2.99
Show 7 more
  • No Ads$2.99
  • Doubled Pension$2.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 3$5.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 4$9.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 5$29.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 6$59.99
  • Shop Purchasing Gold 7$99.99
10 purchases

The Startup

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Access$4.997 Days
  • Gold Membership$4.997 Days
  • Private Banking$29.997 Days
Show 1 more
  • Premium Access$79.991 Year
One-time6
  • Step Back$2.99
  • Small Money Pack$4.99
  • Medium Money Pack$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Big Money Pack$19.99
  • Super Big Money Pack$39.99
  • Legendary Money Pack$99.99

Questions

Is Don't get fired! free?
Don't get fired! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Startup free?
The Startup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Don't get fired! or The Startup?
Don't get fired! is rated higher. Don't get fired! averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8.6K ratings, while The Startup averages 3.9 from 20K ratings.
Do Don't get fired! or The Startup have ads?
Both Don't get fired! and The Startup show ads.
Which is updated more often, Don't get fired! or The Startup?
Don't get fired! ships an update every 3 months, and The Startup every 2 weeks. Most recently, Don't get fired! was updated on October 21, 2026 and The Startup on October 21, 2026.

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