# Merchant RPG vs Guildmaster Idle

The clearest difference is update cadence: Guildmaster Idle at weekly against Merchant RPG's every 4 months. Merchant RPG's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merchant RPG sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Guildmaster Idle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Merchant RPG against 4.7 for Guildmaster Idle. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 265 and 533 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Merchant RPG's written reviews are positive against 75% of Guildmaster Idle's.

Merchant RPG ships an update every 4 months, Guildmaster Idle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merchant RPG | Guildmaster Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (265 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchant-rpg/id1035170074/reviews) | **[4.7 (533 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guildmaster-idle/id1588390905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 265 | **533** |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews | **74.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 67 MB | 314 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Retora Game Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/484290233) | [Elvenry Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588390907) |

## What reviewers say

### Merchant RPG

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchant-rpg/id1035170074)

Manage a fantasy shopkeeping empire by sending heroes on quests for materials and using crafters to create gear. Balance crafting, selling, and hero upgrades to build your trade empire and conquer foes. This offline idle RPG blends tycoon mechanics with traditional RPG elements.

**Highlights:** Send heroes on quests, Craft weapons and armor, Manage shop economy, Upgrade heroes and crafters, Raid bosses, Customize characters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 16 Inventory Slots | $0.99 | one-time |
| 16 Additional Inventory Slots II | $0.99 | one-time |
| 16 Additional Inventory Slots III | $0.99 | one-time |
| 16 Additional Inventory Slots | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock the Jeweler | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hero Slot I | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hero Slot II | $0.99 | one-time |
| Enchanter Unlock | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all Shop Themes | $2.99 | one-time |
| Frozen Tome Expansion | $2.99 | one-time |
| Scribe Expansion | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlocks Everything | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Simple yet deep mechanics
- 🎨 Lovely pixel art style
- 💰 Fair monetization model
- ⏱️ Quick progression

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔇 Cuts off background audio
- 🤔 Confusing for new players
- 🤖 Lack of combat animations
- 🧠 Repetitive gameplay loop

**Reported bugs**

- Ads not working properly
- Inventory management issues
- Progression-blocking bugs

**Requested features**

- Add save slots or cloud sync
- Improve equipment visuals
- Implement auto-repeat quests
- Provide more guidance for new players


### Guildmaster Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guildmaster-idle/id1588390905)

Manage and grow an interactive idle RPG guild. Engage in various minigames to gather resources, craft gear, and train adventurers for quests and dungeons. Attract new heroes and forge alliances to become a legendary guildmaster.

**Highlights:** Interactive idle gameplay, Professions minigames (mining, crafting, bartending, etc.), Questing and dungeon crawling, Guild and hero progression, Talent tree upgrades, Ad-free option

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000 Runes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Runes | $4.99 | one-time |
| Increase Max Offline Work | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Runes (Scrolls) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Rune Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| 7500 Runes | $9.99 | one-time |
| 15000 Runes | $19.99 | one-time |
| 50000 Runes | $49.99 | one-time |
| 100000 Runes | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Practical idle game mechanics
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive gameplay
- 💡 Interesting concept and depth
- 🔒 No forced ads or paywalls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Bugs with certain features
- 🔍 Lack of in-game information and guidance
- ⏱️ Overly long dungeon timers

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- Talent tree enhancements not working as expected
- Gear enhancements have no material requirements
- Unable to construct certain buildings

**Requested features**

- Add a wiki or knowledge base
- Improve UI and accessibility
- Reduce dungeon completion times
- Introduce character/guild customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merchant RPG free?

Merchant RPG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Guildmaster Idle free?

Guildmaster Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Merchant RPG or Guildmaster Idle?

Guildmaster Idle is rated higher. Merchant RPG averages 4.6 out of 5 from 265 ratings, while Guildmaster Idle averages 4.7 from 533 ratings.

### Do Merchant RPG or Guildmaster Idle have ads?

Both Merchant RPG and Guildmaster Idle show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merchant RPG or Guildmaster Idle?

Merchant RPG ships an update every 4 months, and Guildmaster Idle weekly. Most recently, Merchant RPG was updated on October 13, 2026 and Guildmaster Idle on October 16, 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.*