Albion Online vs RuneScape
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Albion Online
Embark on a medieval fantasy adventure in this cross-platform MMORPG. Engage in a player-driven economy, customize your character with a classless system, and battle in thrilling open-world combat. Build a home, conquer territories, and explore a vast, dynamic world.
- Cross-platform play
- Player-driven economy
- Classless character system
- Open-world PvP battles
- Territory conquest
- Player housing and crafting
- Diverse biomes to explore
Read full descriptionHide full description
Albion Online is a cross-platform sandbox MMORPG set in an open medieval fantasy world. The game features a player-driven economy where nearly every item is player-crafted. Combine armor pieces and weapons suited to your playstyle in a unique, classless "you are what you wear" system. Explore the world, take on other adventurers in thrilling battles, conquer territories, and build a home. CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY: Albion Online is a true cross-platform MMO experience. Whether you prefer PC or mobile, one account lets you play on all platforms. PLAYER-DRIVEN ECONOMY: From basic tools and clothes to mighty armors and powerful weapons, nearly every item in the game is crafted by players, in player-constructed buildings, from resources gathered by players. Buy, sell, and trade at local marketplaces all across the world of Albion. Craft rare and powerful items, then sell them to the highest bidder and grow your fortune. YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR: In Albion Online's classless combat system, the weapons and armor you use define your skills, and switching playstyles is as easy as switching gear. Test out new equipment anytime and change up your weapons, armor, and mounts to suit any situation. Hone your character’s skills by crafting new items, or by simply using your favorite equipment. PREPARE TO FIGHT: Test yourself against other adventurers in high-risk, high-reward full-loot fights. From solo to small-group to large-scale battles, you'll need strategy, tactics, and skill to prevail. Level your combat specializations, create unique builds with complementary skills, and use every tool at your disposal to emerge victorious. Enter the Crystal Realm and fight 5v5 or 20v20 battles for massive rewards. CONQUER THE WORLD: Join a guild and carve out your own piece of Albion in massive open-world battles. Claim territories for access to incredible resources, construct guild halls, build Hideouts, and track your progress against other guilds worldwide on the leaderboards. Join a City Faction, climb the ranks, and take part in continent-wide Faction Campaigns. PUT DOWN ROOTS: Claim a city plot or private island and make it your own. Grow crops to sell or make into food, raise your own livestock and mounts, and build crafting stations for private or public use. Stock your house with custom furniture, trophies, and chests to store your growing collection of loot. Hire and train laborers to keep everything at your homestead running smoothly. FACE DEADLY FOES: From small scouting bands to massive bosses, the inhabitants of Albion’s open world await your challenge. Take on six different factions, each with unique enemies that require their own strategies. Partake in solo or group Expeditions, or seek out the ultimate thrill by facing demons and other players alike in Hellgates and Corrupted Dungeons. EXPLORE A VAST WORLD: Explore five vivid biomes, where you can gather raw materials for crafting or cast a line into Albion's waters to catch fish. Seek out solo and group dungeons with powerful foes and lucrative rewards. Enter the Roads of Avalon to discover ever-changing paths between distant zones, and explore the Mists to encounter rare creatures and lucrative treasures.
RuneScape
Embark on an epic fantasy adventure in a vast, evolving MMORPG world. Choose your path as a lone adventurer or raid with friends, mastering diverse skills and facing mythical creatures. Explore unique locations and interact with memorable characters in this enduring online experience.
- Vast open world exploration
- Player-driven progression
- Diverse skill system (29+ skills)
- Versatile combat options
- Rich NPC interactions
- Player trading system
- Optional membership for expanded content
Read full descriptionHide full description
EXPLORE A VAST MMORPG WORLD LIKE NO OTHER RuneScape is a high fantasy open world MMORPG. Explore an ever changing and evolving living world where new challenges, skills, and quests await. Featuring unprecedented player freedom, you choose how to play, adventure, and grow. PLAY YOUR WAY It's all up to you. Will you explore the world and embark on a risky raid with friends, or seek fame and fortune as a lone adventurer? Whether you’re the hero of daring quests, quietly tending to your farm, a legend risking it all against a high-level boss or simply a gentle soul spending a night at the circus, RuneScape is the perfect AFK second-screen game. Play how you want, the choice is yours! Warrior or wizard, farmer or cook – what type of hero will you be? ENDLESS DISCOVERY With a world and story that’s been growing for an incredible 20 years, RuneScape continues to thrill players with a magic packed adventure unlike any other. With 270 million installations and cross-playability on PC and mobile, join the hundreds of millions of people who have explored the fantastic and mystical world of Gielinor. UNFORGETTABLE ENCOUNTERS Make friends – and perhaps sometimes enemies – with a rich roster of memorable NPC characters. From lovable companions and friendly rogues, to deceitful villains and vengeful gods, the many faces of Gielinor offer a deep fantasy experience unlike anything else. A THRIVING WORLD Visit dozens and dozens of unique and striking locations, from the medieval city of Burthorpe and the tranquil harbours of Catherby, to the dangerous dragon filled expanses of the Wilderness or the barren and parched Kharidian Desert. Own your own port! Run your own farm! Make a pretty penny trading with players at The Grand Exchange… but be sure to keep your exotic wares safe in the Bank! POWERFUL SKILLS With 29 skills to master, what will you become? Will you be one with nature by perfecting Woodcutting, Fishing, Herblore and Cooking? Or perhaps you prefer to be creative with Crafting, Farming, Smithing and Construction? Maybe your tastes lay elsewhere – with Hunting, Divination, Invention or Runecrafting? Or does your soul yearn for action, with Magic, Summoning, Slayer and Dungeoneering? VERSATILE COMBAT Do you want to get up close and personal with a sharp blade in your hand? Or will you take a tactical approach and attack from range? Or perhaps your skills are more mystical, and you prefer the arena of magic? Defeat a dazzling assortment of foes including an unimaginable array of epic bosses. From demons to dragons and rock monsters to serpents, nightmares beyond your wildest imagination lay in wait. MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS RuneScape can be played for free, but also offers optional membership that unlocks even more thrilling content, including 8 additional skills, over 120 extra quests and access to the entire world map! Enjoy RuneScape at its best! JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Add your unique voice to our vibrant RuneScape community. Enjoy a strong connection to RuneScape's independent development team by joining them for regular livestreams and share ideas on the forums. We shape RuneScape together! RuneScape supports EN, FR, DE and PT-BR languages. Not Supported: iPhone 5S (and older), iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, iPad Air (2013) Privacy Policy: https://legal.jagex.com/docs/policies/privacy Terms and Conditions: https://www.jagex.com/terms Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information: https://www.jagex.com/en-GB/terms/privacy#do-not-sell RuneScape is free to download and play, however, this game also offers players the opportunity to purchase in-game items such as Treasure keys. These keys can be used to unlock treasure chests, which contain random items. Please see the PEGI information page for more information: https://pegi.info/search-pegi?q=runescape
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Albion Online at 80% against RuneScape's 31%. Albion Online also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and ads (none vs shown). RuneScape's advantage is chart position (#54 vs #181) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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. Albion Online sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and RuneScape sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Albion Online holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23K and 6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Albion Online's written reviews are positive against 31% of RuneScape's.
Albion Online ships an update every 11 days, RuneScape every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.
| Parameter | Albion Online | RuneScape |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (23K ratings) — better | 3.8 (6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better | 31.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 23K — better | 6K |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #181 | #54 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3.4 GB | 117 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sandbox Interactive GmbH | Jagex |
Customer experience
Albion Online
RuneScape
User reviews
Albion Online
From 23K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌐 Excellent cross-platform experience
- 🌍 Massive open-world sandbox
- 🎨 Diverse character customization
- 💰 Robust player-driven economy
- 🏰 Engaging faction warfare and territory control
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- ⚠️ Steep learning curve for new players
- 🔍 Lack of clear objectives and direction
- 🕰️ Slow progression and lengthy grind
- 🏰 Overwhelming dominance by large guilds
RuneScape
From 6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Great mobile experience
- 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
- 🔥 Nostalgic throwback
- 🌐 Expansive content
- 👍 Enjoyable for long-time fans
Room to improve
- 🔍 Cluttered UI and small buttons
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🤖 Unresponsive controls
- 💰 Expensive membership and microtransactions
Bugs and requests
Albion Online
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when opening map or skill tree
- Unresponsive controls and input lag
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Unreliable server stability and connectivity
Requested features
5 requests- Improved tutorial and onboarding for new players
- More PvE content and solo-friendly activities
- Customizable UI and camera controls
- Expanded crafting and gathering mechanics
- Balanced matchmaking for PvP encounters
RuneScape
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes during character creation
- Unresponsive tapping and input issues
- Dialogue and quest progression problems
- Incompatibility with certain iOS devices
- Networking and server connection issues
Requested features
5 requests- Customizable UI and interface
- Improved touch controls and navigation
- Better optimization for tablets and larger screens
- Joystick or controller support
- More tutorials and guidance for new players
In-app purchases
Albion Online
- Premium: 7 Days2 variants$5.997 Days
- Premium: 1 Month$17.991 Month
- Keeper Horse Value Bundle$0.99
- 600 Gold$4.99
- 1600 Gold$9.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 1275 Gold$9.99
- 3400 Gold$19.99
- 2625 Gold$19.99
- 14250 Gold$99.99
RuneScape
- 1 Month Membership + Trial7 Days trial$10.991 Month
- 1 Month Membership$12.491 Month
- 1 Month Membership2 variants$14.991 Month
- 1 Day Membership$0.99
- 3 Day Membership$1.99
- 7 Day Membership$3.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 1 RuneScape Bond$8.99
- 3 RuneScape Bonds$26.95
- 10 RuneScape Bonds$89.99
Questions
Is Albion Online free?
Is RuneScape free?
Which has better reviews, Albion Online or RuneScape?
Do Albion Online or RuneScape have ads?
Which is updated more often, Albion Online or RuneScape?
Which is more popular, Albion Online or RuneScape?
Other comparisons















