# Running in Circle vs Once Upon a Tower

The clearest difference is rating: Once Upon a Tower at 4.7 against Running in Circle's 4.0. Once Upon a Tower also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 1). Running in Circle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Once Upon a Tower sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Running in Circle asks for nothing beyond the download.

Once Upon a Tower holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Once Upon a Tower has 3.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Running in Circle's written reviews are positive against 75% of Once Upon a Tower's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Running in Circle ships an update every 11 months, Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Running in Circle | Once Upon a Tower |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/running-in-circle/id1119948766/reviews) | **[4.7 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **3.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 254 MB | 226 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Avakai Games Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/662870499) | [Pomelo Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/899606172) |

## What reviewers say

### Running in Circle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/running-in-circle/id1119948766)

Guide Heo to survive a relentless chase by a herd of angry bulls. Test your reflexes and endurance as you navigate the chaotic environment to stay alive for as long as possible.

**Highlights:** Endless survival gameplay, Navigate a herd of bulls, Test reflexes and endurance, Simple, engaging mechanics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Once Upon a Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773)

Break free from your tower prison in this adventure game. Armed with a war hammer, you'll battle enemies and escape a dragon. Your rescue is up to you!

**Highlights:** Tower escape adventure, Battle enemies, Fight a dragon, Princess protagonist, Offline gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oscura | $0.99 | one-time |
| Noriko | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Loriel | $0.99 | one-time |
| Denise | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dragon scales x20 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x60 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x200 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎮 Simple but engaging mechanics
- 🚀 Great time killer
- 👍 Empowering female characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Unclear instructions/tutorials
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads
- 🤖 Unresponsive controls

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when watching ads
- Progress resets after crashes
- Challenges not tracking properly
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- More character/princess variety
- Ability to save progress
- Difficulty settings
- Multiplayer mode
- Level editor


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Running in Circle free?

Running in Circle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Once Upon a Tower free?

Once Upon a Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Running in Circle or Once Upon a Tower?

Once Upon a Tower is rated higher. Running in Circle averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Once Upon a Tower averages 4.7 from 3.3K ratings.

### Do Running in Circle or Once Upon a Tower have ads?

Once Upon a Tower shows ads; Running in Circle does not.

### Which is updated more often, Running in Circle or Once Upon a Tower?

Running in Circle ships an update every 11 months, and Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. Most recently, Running in Circle was updated on November 2, 2026 and Once Upon a Tower on November 9, 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.*