The Birdcage vs AR Runner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Birdcage
Unravel a mysterious story by releasing ocean-colored birds locked in golden cages. This puzzle game features intuitive touch controls, mechanical puzzles, and an AR mode for an immersive experience. Solve riddles and escape rooms to restore the wind to the kingdom.
- Intuitive touch controls
- Mechanical puzzles
- AR Mode
- Room escape skills
- Mysterious story
- Atmospheric audio
Read full descriptionHide full description
The story spins around a heartbroken King who lost his young son in a climbing accident. He locks away that which his son loved most - the ocean-colored birds that populated their kingdom. In doing so, he stole the very wind from the sky. Release the birds and unleash the wind once more. Prepare yourself for intuitive touch controls, mechanical puzzles and thinking outside the box. In order to finish this puzzle game, you need to use all the room escape skills you have! AR MODE Experience another dimension of puzzle solving. STUNNING PUZZLES Solve the smartest puzzles and riddles you have ever seen. EASY TO START Easy to start – impossible to quit. True story! INTUITIVE TOUCH CONTROLS Experience the feel of the surface to sense the authentic atmosphere. MYSTERIOUS STORY Unravel the mystery behind 26 golden cages, and story about birds locked inside. ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Enjoy atmospheric audio and chilling soundtrack.
AR Runner
This augmented reality sports game challenges you to run through virtual checkpoints, set records, and compete globally. Play indoors or outdoors with various game modes and customizable field sizes. It offers an active and inventive way to engage with AR.
- Augmented reality checkpoint running
- Global leaderboards
- Four distinct game modes
- Customizable field sizes and shapes
- 60 handcrafted challenges
- Photo mode for score sharing
Read full descriptionHide full description
Run through checkpoints and set new records! Compete against other players worldwide! Play indoors or outside! AR Runner is a one-of-a-kind competitive augmented reality game. "Gets you moving, no matter where you are" - The Washington Post "It’s short, fast, active fun, and an inventive use of ARKit" - Macworld "Beat a world record without ever leaving your hometown" - CNET "A blast with friends" - Wareable –– 4 GAME MODES • Normal: Activate the spots in a certain order • 30 Sec Rush: Activate the most number of spots in 30 seconds • Enemies: Activate the most number of spots while avoiding enemies • Wall Punch: Activate the most number of circles by moving your device through them –– 4 FIELD SIZES, 6 FIELD SHAPES • Choose between different field sizes and shapes to match your environment and skills –– CHALLENGES • Put your skills to the test by completing 60 handcrafted challenges –– OTHER FEATURES • 36 LEADERBOARDS: See how you rank against other players • PHOTO MODE: Take a photo of your score using the in-game camera • Sync your progress using iCloud • Minimalist design • Universal app for iPhone and iPad • Immersive digital environments • No ads
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: AR Runner at none against The Birdcage's shown. AR Runner also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 68%). The Birdcage's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (46K vs 210). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. The Birdcage sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and AR Runner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
The Birdcage holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Birdcage has 46K ratings behind it against 210, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of The Birdcage's written reviews are positive against 83% of AR Runner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Birdcage ships an update every 4 months, AR Runner every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Birdcage | AR Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (46K ratings) — better | 4.3 (210 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews | 82.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 46K — better | 210 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 207 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MOBIPLAY OU | Semidome Inc. |
Customer experience
The Birdcage
AR Runner
User reviews
The Birdcage
From 46K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Beautiful graphics
- 🧠 Engaging puzzles
- 🎮 Smooth gameplay
- 🕰️ Relaxing experience
- 👍 Good value for money
Room to improve
- 💰 Paid content required after free levels
- 🕹️ Puzzles too easy
- ⏱️ Game too short
- 🔍 Lack of difficulty progression
AR Runner
From 210 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Innovative AR fitness game concept
- 💪 Effective workout and exercise motivation
- 😄 Fun and entertaining gameplay
- 🆓 No ads in free version
- ⭐ Great replay value and leaderboards
Room to improve
- 🐛 Ground detection failures
- 🐛 Targets drift and float out of view
- 🐛 App crashes occasionally
- 🐛 Camera permission issues
- 📉 Broken on newer phones despite past functionality
Bugs and requests
The Birdcage
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional crashes
- Issues with ad-based hints
Requested features
4 requests- More free levels
- Increased puzzle difficulty
- Expanded storyline and content
- Ability to reset progress
AR Runner
Reported bugs
9 issues- Ground detection fails to initialize
- Targets drift higher and become unreachable
- App crashes on iPhone 13 Pro and newer devices
- Camera permission not requested properly
- Camera access issues on some devices
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Spelling errors in UI ("Appuyez pour commancer")
- Inconsistent performance on larger play fields
- Blocks and targets occasionally invisible
- Compatibility issues with iOS 11 on some devices
Requested features
12 requests- VR/VR headset compatibility (Google Cardboard support)
- Cross-device multiplayer (connect multiple phones)
- Custom track creation
- Additional game modes and levels
- Video sharing for scores (not just screenshots)
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Apple Watch integration
- Adjustable UI elements (disable timer option)
- Tag/chase game mode
- Virtual obstacles and challenges
- Changeable enemy block colors
- Football field-sized play areas
- Racing mode for multiple players
In-app purchases
The Birdcage
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Winter Cardinal Pack$1.99
- Eagle Pack$1.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- All Gems$1.99
- Dove Pack$1.99
- All Levels Pack (+ no Ads)$4.99
AR Runner
- Premium$1.99
Questions
Is The Birdcage free?
Is AR Runner free?
Which has better reviews, The Birdcage or AR Runner?
Do The Birdcage or AR Runner have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Birdcage or AR Runner?
Other comparisons
