# ROME vs THE MACHINE

The clearest difference is price: THE MACHINE at Free against ROME's $9.99. THE MACHINE also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). ROME's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (19K vs 1). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

THE MACHINE is free to download; ROME costs $9.99 up front. THE MACHINE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ROME asks for nothing beyond the download.

THE MACHINE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ROME has 19K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ROME ships an update every 2 months, THE MACHINE daily. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ROME | THE MACHINE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rome-total-war/id1106831630/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-machine-assembly/id6808324017/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#64** | — |
| Size | 3.7 GB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Feral Interactive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/402470125) | [IAN FABIAN FAGERSTROM](https://appshunter.io/developer/6808324019) |

## What reviewers say

### ROME

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rome-total-war/id1106831630)

**Currently charting:** #64 Top Paid · Strategy, #69 Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)

Lead antiquity's greatest empire in this classic strategy game. Build your civilization, command massive armies in real-time battles, and manage your economy and affairs on a turn-based campaign map. Experience epic historical warfare on your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Turn-based campaign map, Massive real-time 3D battles, Empire management (economic, civil, religious), 19 playable factions, Intuitive touch controls, Mouse and keyboard support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent port of classic PC game
- 🕹️ Intuitive touch controls
- 💎 Immersive and deep gameplay
- 🕰️ Endless replayability
- 🎮 Faithful to original PC version

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 Clunky unit control and formation management
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs, especially in battles
- 🎨 Outdated unit visuals (e.g. Spartan hoplites)
- 🤖 Unresponsive AI in battles

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when loading campaign or battles
- Music and sound issues (multiple tracks playing at once)
- Unit selection and movement bugs
- Graphical glitches (oversized units, broken textures)

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer mode
- More playable factions (e.g. Macedon, SPQR)
- Ability to control naval battles
- More historical battle scenarios
- Improved unit formation controls


### THE MACHINE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-machine-assembly/id6808324017)

Engage with a mechanical puzzle box focused on experimentation and understanding cause and effect. Install and reorder parts to observe signal flow and solve objectives. Discover new hardware and deeper systems as the machine awakens.

**Highlights:** Mechanical puzzle box gameplay, Experimentation and cause/effect mechanics, 34 unique mechanism families, Stateful, order-sensitive puzzles, Tuning and Fusion systems, Offline play, Single optional purchase for full content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| THE MACHINE | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ROME free?

ROME costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is THE MACHINE free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ROME or THE MACHINE?

THE MACHINE is rated higher. ROME averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while THE MACHINE averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ROME or THE MACHINE have ads?

Neither ROME nor THE MACHINE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ROME or THE MACHINE?

ROME ships an update every 2 months, and THE MACHINE daily. Most recently, ROME was updated on October 21, 2026 and THE MACHINE on September 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.*