# Once Upon a Tower vs Gold Runner Classic

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gold Runner Classic at none against Once Upon a Tower's 10. Gold Runner Classic also leads on ads (none vs shown). Once Upon a Tower's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Once Upon a Tower sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Gold Runner Classic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Once Upon a Tower ships an update every 3 weeks, Gold Runner Classic every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Once Upon a Tower | Gold Runner Classic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **75.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 226 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pomelo Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/899606172) | [ZIROTEK Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1209821727) |

## What reviewers say

### Once Upon a Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773)

Break free from your tower prison in this adventure game. Armed with a war hammer, you'll battle enemies and escape a dragon. Your rescue is up to you!

**Highlights:** Tower escape adventure, Battle enemies, Fight a dragon, Princess protagonist, Offline gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oscura | $0.99 | one-time |
| Noriko | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Loriel | $0.99 | one-time |
| Denise | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dragon scales x20 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x60 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x200 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎮 Simple but engaging mechanics
- 🚀 Great time killer
- 👍 Empowering female characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Unclear instructions/tutorials
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads
- 🤖 Unresponsive controls

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when watching ads
- Progress resets after crashes
- Challenges not tracking properly
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- More character/princess variety
- Ability to save progress
- Difficulty settings
- Multiplayer mode
- Level editor


### Gold Runner Classic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gold-runner-classic/id1458693336)

Dig pits to trap enemies and collect all gold chests to advance through classic retro levels. Utilize smart strategies and simple controls for surprisingly deep gameplay in this mine-running adventure.

**Highlights:** Dig pits to trap enemies, Collect all gold chests, 201 classic retro levels, Ladders, ropes, and trapdoors, Smart enemy luring strategies, Simple controls, deep gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Once Upon a Tower free?

Once Upon a Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Gold Runner Classic free?

Gold Runner Classic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Once Upon a Tower or Gold Runner Classic have ads?

Once Upon a Tower shows ads; Gold Runner Classic does not.

### Which is updated more often, Once Upon a Tower or Gold Runner Classic?

Once Upon a Tower ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gold Runner Classic every 2 months. Most recently, Once Upon a Tower was updated on November 4, 2026 and Gold Runner Classic on November 3, 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.*