# Animation Throwdown vs Miracle Merchant

The clearest difference is update cadence: Animation Throwdown at weekly against Miracle Merchant's monthly. Animation Throwdown also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (43K vs 1.7K). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Animation Throwdown sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Miracle Merchant sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Animation Throwdown holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Animation Throwdown has 43K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Animation Throwdown's written reviews are positive against 69% of Miracle Merchant's.

Animation Throwdown ships an update weekly, Miracle Merchant monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Animation Throwdown | Miracle Merchant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (43K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animation-throwdown-card-game/id1080816579/reviews)** | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miracle-merchant/id1127370841/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **43K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **72.2% of reviews** | 68.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#87** | — |
| Size | 369 MB | 250 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | +12 |
| Developer | [Kongregate](https://appshunter.io/developer/491569846) | [Arnold Rauers](https://appshunter.io/developer/538013421) |

## What reviewers say

### Animation Throwdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animation-throwdown-card-game/id1080816579)

**Currently charting:** #87 Top Grossing · Adventure, #130 Top Grossing · Card (US App Store)

Collect cards featuring characters from popular animated shows and battle other players in strategic duels. Build and upgrade your deck, join a guild, and compete in challenges to rise to the top.

**Highlights:** Collect cards from favorite animated shows, Strategic PVP card battles, Build and upgrade your card deck, Join guilds and chat with friends, Conquer story levels and arenas, Weekly challenges and guild wars

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Limited Time Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Small Gem Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Time Limited Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Get it now! Time Limited Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gem Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| VIP Card | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Gem Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Exclusive! Limited Time Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Mega Quest Season Pass | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Enjoyable mix of cartoon characters
- 🎨 Visually appealing graphics
- 💎 Generous free-to-play rewards

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Slow progression without spending money
- 🤖 Unfair matchmaking against higher-level players
- 🔍 Lack of transparency on drop rates
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Overly aggressive monetization

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when opening the shop
- Tutorial gets stuck on card upgrade screen
- Arena rewards not properly credited

**Requested features**

- Add real-time PvP mode
- Improve guild communication features
- Implement card recycling system
- Reduce research and upgrade times


### Miracle Merchant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miracle-merchant/id1127370841)

Become an alchemist's apprentice in this solitaire-style card game. Mix and combine ingredient cards to brew potions for adventurers. Enjoy a unique, randomly generated challenge with each game and collect a variety of masterfully crafted potions.

**Highlights:** Solitaire style gameplay, 41 collectable potions, Daily tasks, Daily game with global highscores, Mix and combine puzzle gameplay, 2-3 minute playtime per game

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Character Unlock 5 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Character Unlock 6 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Character 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Character 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Character 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Character 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Miracle Merchant | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Gorgeous art style and visuals
- 🎶 Excellent, soothing soundtrack
- 🧠 Challenging yet addictive gameplay
- ⏱️ Quick, bite-sized gameplay sessions
- 🕹️ Simple but deep card game mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay with limited variety
- 🤑 Paid features feel essential for full experience
- 🤔 Unclear scoring system and objectives
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 💰 High price for the amount of content

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when completing potions
- Daily tasks and challenges not working properly
- Inability to restore purchases on reinstall
- Compatibility issues on newer iOS devices

**Requested features**

- More game modes and progression systems
- Ability to customize or upgrade potion shop
- Clearer tutorial and in-game explanations
- Synchronization of progress across devices
- Expanded potion and ingredient variety


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Animation Throwdown free?

Animation Throwdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Miracle Merchant free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Animation Throwdown or Miracle Merchant?

Animation Throwdown is rated higher. Animation Throwdown averages 4.7 out of 5 from 43K ratings, while Miracle Merchant averages 4.4 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Animation Throwdown or Miracle Merchant have ads?

Both Animation Throwdown and Miracle Merchant show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Animation Throwdown or Miracle Merchant?

Animation Throwdown ships an update weekly, and Miracle Merchant monthly. Most recently, Animation Throwdown was updated on October 31, 2026 and Miracle Merchant on October 29, 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.*