# Miracle Merchant vs Element Empire

The clearest difference is update cadence: Element Empire at every 3 days against Miracle Merchant's monthly. Miracle Merchant's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Miracle Merchant ships an update monthly, Element Empire every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Miracle Merchant | Element Empire |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miracle-merchant/id1127370841/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 250 MB | 144 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +12 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Arnold Rauers](https://appshunter.io/developer/538013421) | [Shy Guy Lab ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895567804) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Element Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-empire/id6763946292)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 5 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Office 4 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Penthouse 1 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Penthouse 2 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Penthouse 4 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sailing 3 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trading 1 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trading 2 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trading 3 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trading 4 Backdrop | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Miracle Merchant free?

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

### Is Element Empire free?

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

### Do Miracle Merchant or Element Empire have ads?

Both Miracle Merchant and Element Empire show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Miracle Merchant or Element Empire?

Miracle Merchant ships an update monthly, and Element Empire every 3 days. Most recently, Miracle Merchant was updated on October 28, 2026 and Element Empire on October 28, 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.*