# Card Thief vs Stormbound

The clearest difference is update cadence: Stormbound at fortnightly against Card Thief's every 4 months. Stormbound also leads on ratings volume (9K vs 981). Card Thief's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Card Thief sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Stormbound sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Card Thief holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stormbound has 9K ratings behind it against 981, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Card Thief's written reviews are positive against 64% of Stormbound's.

Card Thief ships an update every 4 months, Stormbound fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Card Thief | Stormbound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (981 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-thief/id1186226470/reviews)** | [4.5 (9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stormbound/id1234446615/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 981 | **9K** |
| Positive reviews | **69.9% of reviews** | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 161 MB | 524 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Arnold Rauers](https://appshunter.io/developer/538013421) | [Stormbound Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1637121692) |

## What reviewers say

### Card Thief

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-thief/id1186226470)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Card Thief | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- More enemies or traps to deal with
- More equipment to try out
- 4x4 layout rather than 3x3
- Endless mode
- Multiplayer compatibility


### Stormbound

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stormbound/id1234446615)

Engage in strategic turn-based tactical battles by building a powerful deck of collectible cards. Outsmart opponents worldwide in real-time PVP, customize your profile, and compete for seasonal rewards.

**Highlights:** Deck building, Collectible cards, Turn-based tactical battles, Real-time PVP, Four distinct kingdoms, Seasonal events and rewards, Profile customization

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium pass | $7.99 | per month |
| Daily resources | $1.99 | one-time |
| Daily cards | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Handful of Rubies | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Generic package 7$ | $6.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $7.99 | one-time |
| Shredded Journal | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tribal Tome | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bunch of Rubies | $9.99 | one-time |
| Weekly cards | $9.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Rubies | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Better than Clash Royale
- 🔒 No ads
- 👍 Fantastic game
- 👍 Fun and creative cards
- 👍 Cohesive combat

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Pay to win
- 🐛 Unbalanced cards
- 🐛 Unfair matchmaking
- 🐛 Slow progression for F2P
- 🐛 Frustrating level caps

**Reported bugs**

- Login/loading issues
- Card placement bugs
- Deck editing problems
- Inconsistent card rotation

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- Clan/guild system
- Chat functionality
- Spectate mode
- Leaderboard/ranking display


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Card Thief free?

Card Thief is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Stormbound free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Card Thief or Stormbound?

Card Thief is rated higher. Card Thief averages 4.7 out of 5 from 981 ratings, while Stormbound averages 4.5 from 9K ratings.

### Do Card Thief or Stormbound have ads?

Both Card Thief and Stormbound show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Card Thief or Stormbound?

Card Thief ships an update every 4 months, and Stormbound fortnightly. Most recently, Card Thief was updated on September 26, 2026 and Stormbound on September 27, 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.*