# Drop Wizard Tower vs Shovel Pirate

Drop Wizard Tower and Shovel Pirate both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Shovel Pirate's written reviews are positive against 51% of Drop Wizard Tower's. Drop Wizard Tower's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 11.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drop Wizard Tower sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Shovel Pirate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Drop Wizard Tower holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 86 and 37 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of Drop Wizard Tower's written reviews are positive against 72% of Shovel Pirate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drop Wizard Tower | Shovel Pirate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (86 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drop-wizard-tower/id1220936997/reviews)** | [4.1 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shovel-pirate/id6473428149/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **86** | 37 |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews | **72.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 45 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nitrome](https://appshunter.io/developer/568079484) | [Gionathan Pesaresi](https://appshunter.io/developer/774933633) |

## What reviewers say

### Drop Wizard Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drop-wizard-tower/id1220936997)

Embark on an arcade-style platforming adventure to rescue captured wizards and an ancient egg. Battle enemies across diverse environments, unlock new characters with unique abilities, and overcome challenging boss fights. Enjoy randomized levels and a captivating storyline.

**Highlights:** Over 50 floors with traps and enemies, Unlockable wizards with unique abilities, 8 epic boss fights, Hazard-filled environments, Randomized levels for replayability, Collect almanac pages for lore, Leaderboards and achievements

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bunch of Gems | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pot of Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Chest of Gems | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Charming pixel art and visual style
- 🎮 Fun and addictive gameplay mechanics
- 🎵 Great 8-bit music and sound effects
- 📖 Interesting story and character progression
- 👾 Multiple playable characters to unlock

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🎮 Unintuitive and difficult control scheme
- 🐛 Frequent game freezes and crashes
- ⚙️ Poor character movement responsiveness
- 🔄 Repetitive level design

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes every 5 minutes during play
- Blank screen on launch preventing gameplay
- Achievement not unlocking for specific characters
- Progress restoration loop on level 51
- Game crashes when playing with secret character

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support
- Full-screen support option
- Save progress feature for longer sessions
- Endless arcade mode
- High score tracking and leaderboards


### Shovel Pirate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shovel-pirate/id6473428149)

Embark on a pirate adventure to find hidden treasures. This cute platformer features fun puzzles, charming characters, and clever traps across 15 action-packed levels. Discover secret collectibles and enjoy delightful music as you progress.

**Highlights:** 15 action-packed levels, Clever puzzles, Secret collectibles, Intuitive controls, Charming music

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and enjoyable gameplay
- 👍 Simple and easy to play
- 👍 Satisfying mechanics
- 👍 Good for killing time
- 👍 Nice characters and graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid to unlock levels
- 💰 Misleading free-to-play model
- 💰 Game is too short
- 💰 Poor value for money (for some)
- 👎 Controls can be frustrating

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes after purchase
- Cannot play past a certain level without paying

**Requested features**

- Separate buttons for ladder and shoveling controls
- More levels or a sequel
- Longer games
- Make more levels free in the future
- Updates to design


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drop Wizard Tower free?

Drop Wizard Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shovel Pirate free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Drop Wizard Tower or Shovel Pirate?

Drop Wizard Tower is rated higher. Drop Wizard Tower averages 4.3 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Shovel Pirate averages 4.1 from 37 ratings.

### Do Drop Wizard Tower or Shovel Pirate have ads?

Neither Drop Wizard Tower nor Shovel Pirate shows ads.

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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.*