Comparison

A.L.I.C.E vs Merge Cafe

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

Head to head
About

A.L.I.C.E

This retro-style 2D platformer educates players about common cyber security threats and countermeasures. Navigate through levels, solve puzzles, and use your wits to defeat cyber threats and retrieve your stolen identity.

Highlights
  • Retro 2D platformer gameplay
  • Cyber security threat education
  • Puzzle solving
  • Avatar customization
  • AI assistant for tips
  • 5 challenging levels
Features
Read full description

Our online presence is growing, making Cyber Security awareness more important. As new technologies emerge, cyber criminals also develop new ways to target individuals' and companies' data. Staying safe online isn’t just a slogan anymore, it’s a necessity. To encourage UNSW students to be more aware of their actions online, UNSW has built this app to further increase awareness of common Cyber Security threats and counter measures that can be taken. A.L.I.C.E is a retro style 2D platform side scrolling game, with enemies to zap, puzzles to solve, and an overall learning experience. Players choose their avatar, and the game begins with your identity being stolen. The player journeys through 5 levels, faces numerous cyber threats, and uses their wits to solve cyber puzzles. A friendly A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) will help the player through the game, and provide tips and hints on how to defeat the final Cyber Threat boss, to retrieve their identity back.

About

Merge Cafe

Combine identical items to create delicious dishes and serve customers in this culinary adventure. Unlock new rooms and renovate your dream home as you progress through challenging merge puzzles. Enjoy mouthwatering visuals and a relaxing experience.

Highlights
  • Match and merge items to create dishes
  • Serve customers and earn rewards
  • Unlock and renovate rooms in your dream home
  • Solve 500+ unique puzzle levels
  • Enjoy ASMR visuals and sounds
  • Use powerful boosters
Features
Read full description

Get ready to dive into the delightful world of Merge Cafe: Cooking Theme - where adventure meets culinary creativity! In this fun match-and-merge game, you are free to combine everything into more delicious food items while embarking on a thrilling journey to unlock various rooms and renovate your dream home. With its mouthwatering visuals and addictive gameplay, you'll find yourself craving for more! Can you collect the ultimate dishes and master the secret of cooking? Your Dream Home awaits! Merge Cafe: Cooking Theme is the ultimate treat for cafe lovers and those who wish to build a dream home of their own. Your mission is to merge items and serve delicious treats to hungry customers around the world. Each level is a scrumptious puzzle waiting to be solved, filled with layers of sweetness and excitement. HOW TO PLAY: - Find 2 identical items and drag to merge into a tastier and upper-level dishes - No identical items to merge? Tap on objects with charger symbol to bring new items to your board - Merge items as orders from your customers and earn stunning rewards - Use your rewards to unlock new rooms and renovate your dream home - Mind the clock as you have limited time to complete each levels - Get stuck? Activate powerful boosters to secure your victory! FEATURES: - Easy to play but hard enough to test your IQ - Unlock various delicious treats: from chocolate cakes to tiramisu and more! - Explore the secret of different rooms in your home - Conquer 500+ levels with unique challenges - Enjoy ASMR visuals and sounds for a relaxing experience Challenge your mind and explore various dishes in Merge Cafe: Cooking Theme. Your dream home is just a merge away!

Screenshots

A.L.I.C.E4 screens
Merge Cafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: A.L.I.C.E at none against Merge Cafe's 10. A.L.I.C.E also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 67%). Merge Cafe's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Merge Cafe sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. A.L.I.C.E asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for A.L.I.C.E against 4.4 for Merge Cafe. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of A.L.I.C.E's written reviews are positive against 67% of Merge Cafe's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A.L.I.C.E ships an update every 3 months, Merge Cafe every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
A.L.I.C.E versus Merge Cafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA.L.I.C.EMerge Cafe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14 ratings) — better4.4 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS7.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size806 MB330 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe University of New South WalesSonat Joint Stock Company

Customer experience

A.L.I.C.E

All ratings14 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

Merge Cafe

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

None

A.L.I.C.E

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Merge Cafe

One-time10
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • Special Offer$2.99
  • Weekend Sale$3.99
Show 7 more
  • No ads$7.99
  • No ads just fun$9.99
  • Coin 3$14.99
  • Extra bundle$19.99
  • Coin 4$24.99
  • Coin 5$49.99
  • Coin 6$99.99

Questions

Is A.L.I.C.E free?
A.L.I.C.E is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merge Cafe free?
Merge Cafe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, A.L.I.C.E or Merge Cafe?
A.L.I.C.E is rated higher. A.L.I.C.E averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Merge Cafe averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.
Do A.L.I.C.E or Merge Cafe have ads?
Merge Cafe shows ads; A.L.I.C.E does not.
Which is updated more often, A.L.I.C.E or Merge Cafe?
A.L.I.C.E ships an update every 3 months, and Merge Cafe every 4 days. Most recently, A.L.I.C.E was updated on November 4, 2026 and Merge Cafe on October 30, 2026.

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