# Mage Mania vs Apodaca 1890

The clearest difference is rating: Apodaca 1890 at 4.8 against Mage Mania's 4.2. Apodaca 1890 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6). Mage Mania's advantage is ratings volume (100 vs 4) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mage Mania sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Apodaca 1890 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Apodaca 1890 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mage Mania has 100 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of Mage Mania's written reviews are positive against 75% of Apodaca 1890's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Mage Mania ships an update every 4 months, Apodaca 1890 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mage Mania | Apodaca 1890 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (100 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mage-mania/id1020990223/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apodaca-1890/id1573345782/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **100** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **81.7% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 60 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jampot Software co., ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/590341509) | [Amado Mata](https://appshunter.io/developer/1573345784) |

## What reviewers say

### Mage Mania

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mage-mania/id1020990223)

Embark on a dungeon-crawling adventure where you collect elements to cast spells and battle monsters. Explore a world filled with dragons, collect powerful equipment, and utilize over 20 unique spells in this 8-bit styled game.

**Highlights:** 8-bit style graphics, Tap and clear gameplay, 20 unique spells, Over 200 equipment items, More than 100 monsters to battle

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Double Experience | $0.99 | one-time |
| Double Earning | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2200 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5500 Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 12000 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and enjoyable gameplay
- ✨ Retro and nostalgic feel
- 🎮 Easy to pick up and play
- 💡 Interesting game concept
- 😊 Good for passing time

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unbalanced gameplay
- 🐛 Buggy experience
- 🐛 Grind-heavy progression
- 🐛 Ads not rewarding
- 🐛 App stops music/podcasts

**Reported bugs**

- Translations are funny/need fixing
- App stops podcast/music playback
- Ads never give reward
- Tutorial starts without equipping spells
- Thrown weapons listed for zero gold in shop

**Requested features**

- Fix translations
- Allow offline play
- More characters to use
- Build chains diagonally
- Choose number of pieces in a chain


### Apodaca 1890

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apodaca-1890/id1573345782)

Embark on a challenging retro-style 2D platformer adventure through an ancient fortress. Navigate traps, overcome enemies, and master precise jumps to reach the end of this expansive, hand-crafted level.

**Highlights:** Retro-style 2D pixel art, Massive single-level design, Challenging traps and enemies, Classic jump-and-run gameplay, Simple, responsive controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mage Mania free?

Mage Mania is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Apodaca 1890 free?

Apodaca 1890 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mage Mania or Apodaca 1890?

Apodaca 1890 is rated higher. Mage Mania averages 4.2 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Apodaca 1890 averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Mage Mania or Apodaca 1890 have ads?

Both Mage Mania and Apodaca 1890 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mage Mania or Apodaca 1890?

Mage Mania ships an update every 4 months, and Apodaca 1890 every 2 months. Most recently, Mage Mania was updated on November 1, 2026 and Apodaca 1890 on November 3, 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.*