Comparison

Armello vs Card Thief

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

Head to head
About

Armello

Experience a grand adventure blending card game tactics, tabletop strategy, and RPG elements. Explore a procedurally generated world with unique heroes and a dynamic quest system. Engage in fast-paced, politically complex decisions in a turn-based day and night cycle.

Highlights
  • Card game tactics
  • Turn-based tabletop strategy
  • Fantastical RPG adventure
  • Procedurally generated maps
  • Unique playable heroes
  • Dynamic quest system
  • Animated cards
Features
Read full description

Armello is a grand swashbuckling adventure combining three styles of play; The deep tactics of card games, the rich strategy of turn-based tabletop board games, and the adventure of fantastical RPGs. • Easy to Play but Hard to Master: Armello is easy to pick up and experience, yet its deep strategy-centric gameplay emerges as you play. Includes acclaimed story-driven tutorial mode. • A Board Game Come to Life: We've spent years cherry-picking the best parts of the tabletop experience, like our physics-based dice. • Fast & Thoughtful: Adventuring in Armello is fast-paced strategy fuelled fun with deadly, tactical and politically complex decisions. • Multiple Playable Heroes: Each unique Hero possess a special power, stat line, AI personality and can be equipped with an Amulet and Signet Ring to further match your playstyle. • Dynamic Sandbox: Gorgeous dynamic world which procedurally generates a new map each and every game, complete with a dynamic quest system ensuring a new RPG-like tale on every playthrough. • Turn-Based Day & Night Cycle: Use Action Points to journey across Armello's hex-based board and use our fuzzy turn-based system to play cards even when it's not your turn. • Animated Cards: Over 150 beautifully animated in-game Cards from artists all over the world. • World Class Soundtrack by Michael Allen and internationally acclaimed artist Lisa Gerrard. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/armellogame Follow us on Twitter: @armellogame Privacy Policy: http://www.armello.com/privacypolicy/ Terms of Service: http://www.armello.com/termsofservice/ NOTES: 1) Compatible with iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad 9.7" and iPad Pro, iPhone 6 and up

About

Card Thief

A solitaire-style stealth game where you play as a master thief. Sneak through darkness, steal treasure, and escape without getting caught. It offers deep strategy and roguelike replayability in short, engaging sessions.

Highlights
  • Solitaire-style stealth gameplay
  • 4 unique heists
  • Unlockable equipment cards
  • Hireable thieves with special rules
  • Mini deck-building mechanics
  • Daily Heist mode with leaderboards
  • Roguelike replayability
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Card Thief is a solitaire-style stealth card game that transforms your deck into a shadowy world of cunning heists and daring escapes. Sneak through the darkness as a master thief. Extinguish torches, pickpocket guards, and steal precious treasure without getting caught. Every card you flip is a calculated risk. Every move could be your last. From the makers of Card Crawl, the hit indie card dungeon crawler, Card Thief distills the tension of classic stealth games into a sleek, strategic card game you can play in minutes. Easy to learn, endlessly deep. Plan. Steal. Escape. Repeat. With a rich layer of tactical decision-making, risk/reward choices, and roguelike replayability, Card Thief is the perfect pick-up-and-play strategy card game for fans of stealth, puzzle games, and solo card games alike. Features - Solitaire-style stealth gameplay with no internet required - 4 unique heists with distinct enemies, traps, and obstacles - 12 unlockable and upgradable equipment cards with unique abilities - Hire 10 thieves, each with special gameplay rules - Mini deck-building mechanics for deep strategic customization - Daily Heist mode with global leaderboards - Roguelike replayability so every run plays differently - Perfect session length of 2 to 3 minutes per game - Offline play, great for travel

Screenshots

Armello4 screens
Card Thief4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Armello at none against Card Thief's shown. Armello also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 12.0). Card Thief's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (70% vs 61%). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Armello sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Card Thief sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Card Thief holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.2K and 981 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Armello's written reviews are positive against 70% of Card Thief's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Armello ships an update every 2 weeks, Card Thief every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Armello versus Card Thief: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArmelloCard Thief
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.2K ratings)4.7 (981 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews69.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better981
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.1 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size810 MB161 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperLeague of Geeks Pty LtdArnold Rauers

Customer experience

Armello

All ratings2,165 ratings
Positive84.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews948 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral11.8%
Negative27.2%

Card Thief

All ratings981 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.3%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews478 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral9.4%
Negative20.7%

User reviews

Armello

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Relaxing & fun gameplay
  • 👍 Great combination of tactics, strategy, and luck
  • 👍 Unique game with apt name
  • 🎨 Stunning art and visuals
  • 👍 Addictive and enjoyable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues with achievement tracking and rewards
  • 🐛 Multiplayer matchmaking and connectivity problems
  • 🔋 Battery draining
  • 🔍 Lack of full board overview
  • 🕰️ Short turn timers in multiplayer

Card Thief

From 981 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Fun and unique stealth mechanics
  • 👍 Very fun for offline gaming
  • 👍 New favorite card game
  • 👍 Creative and addictive game

Room to improve

  • ❓ What is the goal?
  • 🐛 Issueee
  • 🐛 Buggy
  • 🐛 Crashes on load
  • 🐛 Cannot select path

Bugs and requests

Armello

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Challenges not registering as completed
  • Achievements not unlocking properly
  • Multiplayer connectivity issues and game crashes
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices
  • Freezing and loading screen issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • More game modes and win conditions
  • Larger board/map options
  • Terrain variety with unique characteristics
  • Offline play/pass-and-play mode
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
Show 3 more
  • More frequent content updates
  • Improved camera controls and zoom functionality
  • Better tutorial and in-game information

Card Thief

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Crystals which you can get when playing are useless
  • Notch covers game information on iPhone X+
  • Ads error prevents chest opening
  • Hideout heists have unrealistically high scores
  • Can't open hideout, game crashes
Show 4 more
  • Crashes right after starting on M1 iPad Pro with iPadOS 14.7.1
  • Crashes all the time
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

9 requests
  • More enemies or traps to deal with
  • More equipment to try out
  • 4x4 layout rather than 3x3
  • Endless mode
  • Multiplayer compatibility
Show 4 more
  • Sync game data between Android and iOS
  • Shop to use crystals
  • More levels, incentives, and variations in the Hideout games
  • Ability to cash in stolen goods for new tool cards or special cards

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Armello

One-time6
  • Fistful of Shards$0.99
  • Welcome Offer$2.99
  • Bag of Shards$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Shower of Shards$9.99
  • Chest of Shards$19.99
  • Wagon of Shards$25.99
1 purchases

Card Thief

One-time1
  • Unlock Card Thief$4.99

Questions

Is Armello free?
Armello is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Card Thief free?
Card Thief is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Armello or Card Thief?
Card Thief is rated higher. Armello averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Card Thief averages 4.7 from 981 ratings.
Do Armello or Card Thief have ads?
Card Thief shows ads; Armello does not.
Which is updated more often, Armello or Card Thief?
Armello ships an update every 2 weeks, and Card Thief every 4 months. Most recently, Armello was updated on October 18, 2026 and Card Thief on October 20, 2026.

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