Comparison

The Scam vs Shakedown

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Scam

This app is a satirical game designed to highlight common issues in free-to-play mobile games. It humorously mocks aggressive in-app purchases and the feeling of being pressured to pay to progress. The developers encourage users to enjoy the game without spending money, emphasizing its satirical intent.

Highlights
  • Satirical gameplay
  • Leaderboard competition
  • Mock in-app purchases
  • Humorous commentary
  • No mandatory payments
Features
Read full description

Welcome to The Scam, an app where the developers blatantly are trying to scam you out of your money! Enter the world of Lollipops, a place where you can be a real sucker. Do battle against your arch rival Mr. Lolli Kipper. Compete against family members to be the top of the leaderboard. Avoid the perils of In-App Purchases. Here's a song with this app's features in no particular order: - If you don't fall for scam #1, you know you'll fall for scam #2 - I'm just doing me. You're doing me too. - Tapping the ads it makes us rich - Let's make this pop off, without a hitch - I know you're a sucker, I'm not impressed - Pay me your money, you'll be the best - Join the battle, join the war - You can't gain exp, that's what's in store - Stay at level 1, until you pay - We got so much money, so keep em at bay - We know you'll try, try to win - ...................................... Fin Let us scam you TODAY! Music: Little Idea, Buddy - Bensound.com Disclaimer: This app is intended to be a satire of some of the common issues we have with free apps such as paying to win, aggressive ads, and psychological tricks used to give players the need to pay. You don't need to actually pay to play. Have fun and leave us a review if you like it!

About

Shakedown

Embark on a 16-bit open-world adventure where you build a business empire. Complete missions, acquire properties, and sabotage rivals to dominate the island. Explore by land, sea, or air, uncovering secrets and engaging in arcade challenges.

Highlights
  • 16-bit open world exploration
  • Business acquisition and management
  • Mission-based gameplay
  • Sabotage competitors
  • Vehicle and boat traversal
  • Arcade challenges and side quests
Features
Read full description

A brand new open world adventure from the creator of Retro City Rampage DX! The entire island is up for grabs. Build your own "legitimate" corporation by completing missions, acquiring businesses, sabotaging competitors, "re-zoning" land, and shaking down shops for protection money. Explore the 16-bit open world by foot, by car, or by boat. It's filled with arcade challenges, side quests, stores to shop at, houses to burgle, civilians to interact with, and secrets to discover. Build your empire and destroy the competition... in Shakedown: Hawaii.

Screenshots

The Scam4 screens
Shakedown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Scam at Free against Shakedown's $4.99. The Scam also leads on ratings volume (60 vs 20) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). Shakedown's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

The Scam is free to download; Shakedown costs $4.99 up front. The Scam sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Shakedown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shakedown holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of The Scam's written reviews are positive against 92% of Shakedown's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Scam versus Shakedown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe ScamShakedown
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.7 (60 ratings)4.9 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings60 — better20
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.3 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB124 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPOP POP LLCVblank Entertainment Inc.

Customer experience

The Scam

All ratings60 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative23.8%

Shakedown

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

The Scam

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 🐛 Game freezes
  • 🐛 App freezes
  • 🐛 Game freezes a little
  • 🐛 Nearly got scammed at the start
  • 🐛 App asks for money twice

Requested features

1 request
  • Hint for the lose screen

Shakedown

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

The Scam

One-time5
  • Continue Scam$0.99
  • Level 100 Upgrade$0.99
  • Instantly Beat the Game$0.99
Show 2 more
  • +1 Attack Damage$0.99
  • 4,000 Golden Coins$0.99
None

Shakedown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Scam free?
The Scam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shakedown free?
Shakedown costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Scam or Shakedown?
Shakedown is rated higher. The Scam averages 3.7 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Shakedown averages 4.9 from 20 ratings.
Do The Scam or Shakedown have ads?
Neither The Scam nor Shakedown shows ads.

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