Comparison

Goblin's Shop vs Merchant

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Goblin's Shop

Run a fantasy shop in this pixel-art simulation game. Craft weapons, armor, and potions for monsters to help them defeat humans. Embark on RPG adventures to gather materials and upgrade your shop and team.

Highlights
  • Pixel-art simulation gameplay
  • RPG adventures with monster customers
  • Craft over 100 items
  • Customizable shop facilities
  • Monster skill trees and talents
  • 44 adventure territories
  • Multiplayer challenges
Features
Read full description

***** 2017 / 10, Featured by App Store globally ***** ***** 2018 / 3, Selected as Today's Game in China & Honk Kong ***** ● Introduction This is a pixel-art simulation game in which the player runs a shop, together with RPG adventures. In Goblin’s Shop, the player is a goblin who has been bullied by humans and he always wants to get it even. Unfortunately, however, Mr. Goblin realizes that he is too weak to beat any human soldier. Then the idea of opening a shop occurred to him, so he decided to sell weapons, armors and potions to other monsters. To take revenge against humans, he puts together an adventure team with other monsters. In the game, the player has to undertake adventures with his customers constantly, to acquire better crafting materials. During any adventure, the player might face fiery counterattack from human soldiers, so it is imperative to craft better equipment for customers, and then the customers can kill humans more efficiently. The ultimate goal is to attack humans’ castle and gain victory in the end. ● Features: - More than 100 items for crafting - Shop facilities with unique functions are accessible to set up - Various monsters are available for the player to adventure with - Skill tree for the player and random talent systems of the monsters - Random events and quests - 44 territories for adventure - The presentation of monsters are customizable - Player is able to adjust the color of shop objects and arrange various decorations - Challenge human hero together with the other players ● Login & Edit Account Info: http://fstoke.me/goblinxshop/player/ ● Help Translating Text: http://fstoke.me/goblinxshop/game_text/ ● FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/goblinxshop ● Twitter: https://twitter.com/goblinxshop ● Wiki: https://goblinxshop.fandom.com/zh-tw/wiki/Goblin's_Shop_Wiki ● TouchArcade Forum: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=311644

About

Merchant

Embark on a fantasy adventure where you manage a guild, send heroes on quests, and craft valuable items. Trade with customers, gather resources, and collaborate with friends in this unique RPG experience.

Highlights
  • Guild management
  • Hero quests
  • Item crafting
  • Customer sales
  • Resource gathering
  • Online multiplayer
Features
Read full description

Blending together traditional RPG systems, management mechanics, and a fantasy overworld, Merchant Guilds aims to reimagine the traditional mobile RPG. Play with your friends in a Guild as you send heroes on quests, craft equipment from your winnings, sell items to customers, and send workers out to gather more materials. Including online multiplayer functionality and developed by a team that is focused on this game for the foreseeable future

Screenshots

Goblin's Shop4 screens
Merchant4 screens

Verdict

The call

Goblin's Shop and Merchant both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Goblin's Shop's written reviews are positive against 50% of Merchant's. Goblin's Shop also leads on ratings volume (193 vs 53) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Goblin's Shop sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Merchant sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Goblin's Shop against 4.4 for Merchant. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 193 and 53 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Goblin's Shop's written reviews are positive against 50% of Merchant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Goblin's Shop ships an update every 3 weeks, Merchant every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Goblin's Shop versus Merchant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoblin's ShopMerchant
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (193 ratings)4.4 (53 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings193 — better53
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size428 MB410 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperJUNG CHUN HUNGRetora Game Studios

Customer experience

Goblin's Shop

All ratings192 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews212 reviews
Positive79.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative13.2%

Merchant

All ratings52 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral1.9%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral18.8%
Negative31.3%

Bugs and requests

Goblin's Shop

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay
  • Inability to collect dropped items or resources
  • Inconsistent or broken quest/level progression
  • Graphical and UI issues on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to equip and control the player character
  • Expanded shop customization and management options
  • Improved combat and enemy AI
  • Better resource gathering and progression systems
  • Clearer tutorials and in-game information

Merchant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Goblin's Shop

One-time7
  • 30 gems$0.99
  • Full Version$2.99
  • 200 gems$4.99
Show 4 more
  • 450 gems$9.99
  • 1000 gems$19.99
  • 2700 gems$49.99
  • 6000 gems$99.99
10 purchases

Merchant

One-time10
  • Extra Daily Challenge$0.99
  • Extra Daily Challenge Upg #2$0.99
  • Hero Slots Unlock$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Additional Inventory Slots$1.99
  • Second Inventory Upgrade$1.99
  • Extra Crafting Slot$3.99
  • Extra Hero Loadouts$9.99
  • Ad Free Mode$9.99
  • Unlock All Upgrades$29.99
  • Unlock All Upgrades$34.99

Questions

Is Goblin's Shop free?
Goblin's Shop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Merchant free?
Merchant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Goblin's Shop or Merchant?
Merchant is rated higher. Goblin's Shop averages 4.3 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while Merchant averages 4.4 from 53 ratings.
Do Goblin's Shop or Merchant have ads?
Both Goblin's Shop and Merchant show ads.
Which is updated more often, Goblin's Shop or Merchant?
Goblin's Shop ships an update every 3 weeks, and Merchant every 2 weeks. Most recently, Goblin's Shop was updated on October 24, 2026 and Merchant on October 24, 2026.

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