Comparison

Merchant RPG vs NGIO

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

Head to head
About

Merchant RPG

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
Read full description

Be the Merchant of your very own empire! Quest, Craft, Profit, Upgrade! As the Merchant, you are the commander of your own domain! Blending together traditional RPG systems, tycoon mechanics, and a fantasy overworld, Merchant aims to reimagine the traditional mobile RPG. In Merchant, players take the role of a shopkeeper who must manage a team of Heroes and Crafters. Heroes are sent out on quests in order to fight enemies and gather materials. Crafters then use those materials to create weapons and armor. As the shopkeeper, players must balance their micro-economies between selling items for gold and crafting items to better ensure success for the Heroes. * * * TAKE REIGN OF YOUR MARKET - Send Heroes out on epic adventures! - Pay Crafters to create gear! - Earn gold and dictate the direction of your economy! - Grow your inventory and profit from your trade empire! VICTORY THROUGH CONQUEST - Choose your cast of characters from multiple Hero classes! - Ride out to battle to bring back items and loot! - Customize your champions with weapons and armor! - Band together to raid powerful bosses as a party! - Better performance leads to greater rewards! CRAFT YOUR LEGACY - Utilize the unique Crafters to create items and gear to use and sell! - Train the Crafters to create better items, allowing them to master their trade! - Ensure the victory of your Heroes by outfitting them with superior items! * * *

About

NGIO

Features
Read full description

New Game is Over reveals the mechanics of anxiety comodification. The goal of the game is to set up the production of anxiety, shoot your fear and escape the worlds of phantasmagoria

Screenshots

Merchant RPG4 screens
NGIO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NGIO at none against Merchant RPG's 12. NGIO also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 4 months). Merchant RPG's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price and device support 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. Merchant RPG sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. NGIO asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Merchant RPG ships an update every 4 months, NGIO daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Merchant RPG versus NGIO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMerchant RPGNGIO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (276 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings276 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB297 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperRetora Game StudiosMikhail Maksimov

Bugs and requests

Merchant RPG

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

NGIO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Merchant RPG

One-time12
  • 16 Inventory Slots$0.99
  • 16 Additional Inventory Slots II$0.99
  • 16 Additional Inventory Slots III$0.99
Show 9 more
  • 16 Additional Inventory Slots$0.99
  • Unlock the Jeweler$0.99
  • Hero Slot I$0.99
  • Hero Slot II$0.99
  • Enchanter Unlock$1.99
  • Unlock all Shop Themes$2.99
  • Frozen Tome Expansion$2.99
  • Scribe Expansion$3.99
  • Unlocks Everything$14.99
None

NGIO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Merchant RPG free?
Merchant RPG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NGIO free?
NGIO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Merchant RPG or NGIO have ads?
Merchant RPG shows ads; NGIO does not.
Which is updated more often, Merchant RPG or NGIO?
Merchant RPG ships an update every 4 months, and NGIO daily. Most recently, Merchant RPG was updated on October 24, 2026 and NGIO on October 5, 2026.

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