# Gardenscapes vs Recycle Rush

The clearest difference is ads: Gardenscapes at none against Recycle Rush's shown. Gardenscapes also leads on chart position (#8 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Recycle Rush's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gardenscapes sells 19 one-off in-app purchases and Recycle Rush sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Gardenscapes ships an update every 3 weeks, Recycle Rush every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gardenscapes | Recycle Rush |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.7M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gardenscapes/id1105855019/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.7M** | — |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 255 MB | 172 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playrix](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162116447) | [CONTROL GAMING GROUP LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873080485) |

## What reviewers say

### Gardenscapes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gardenscapes/id1105855019)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Casual, #8 Top Grossing · Puzzle, #15 Top Grossing · Games, #35 Top Free · Casual, #38 Top Free · Puzzle, #59 Top Grossing, #67 Top Free · Games (US App Store)

Restore a beautiful garden by solving match-3 puzzles. Explore new areas, meet characters, and enjoy an engaging storyline. Decorate your garden with unique elements and play with friends.

**Highlights:** Match-3 puzzle gameplay, Garden restoration and decoration, Engaging storyline with characters, Thousands of captivating levels, Exciting in-game events and competitions, Unique garden areas

**In-app purchases (19)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handful of Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| A few coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Garden Kit | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Horticulturist Kit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Garden Kit | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hot Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Golden ticket | $2.99 | one-time |
| Gold Reserve | $2.99 | one-time |
| Purse of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| A handful of coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Golden ticket | $4.99 | one-time |
| Botanist Kit | $5.99 | one-time |
| Florist Kit | $6.99 | one-time |
| A small pile of coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| Season Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Florist Kit | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gardener Kit | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌳 Beautiful graphics and garden design
- 🕹️ Enjoyable and relaxing gameplay
- 🕰️ Calming background music
- 🐶 Cute pet companion (dog)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤯 Frustratingly difficult levels
- 💰 Game feels designed to push in-app purchases
- ⏱️ Slow progress and high star requirements
- 🤖 Racist portrayal of Asian character

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashing and progress loss issues
- Boosters not working as intended
- Inconsistent difficulty across levels

**Requested features**

- Ability to skip challenging levels
- More ways to earn coins and power-ups
- Option to customize garden more freely
- Faster energy/life regeneration


### Recycle Rush

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recycle-rush-sorting-game/id6783018675)

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Slow Time Power-Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| Shield Power-Up | $3.99 | one-time |
| Reputation Restoration Power-Up | $3.99 | one-time |
| Clear Bags Power-Up | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gardenscapes free?

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

### Is Recycle Rush free?

Recycle Rush is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Gardenscapes or Recycle Rush have ads?

Recycle Rush shows ads; Gardenscapes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gardenscapes or Recycle Rush?

Gardenscapes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Recycle Rush every 3 days. Most recently, Gardenscapes was updated on October 20, 2026 and Recycle Rush on October 5, 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.*