Comparison

Swarm Simulator vs Idle Idle GameDev

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

Head to head
About

Swarm Simulator

Evolve your insect colony from simple larvae to powerful hive minds in this 3D incremental idle clicker game. Conquer territory, sacrifice units for growth, and ascend to unlock new mutations and expand your swarm across the universe.

Highlights
  • Incremental idle clicker gameplay
  • Endless progression and unit evolution
  • Idle mode for offline growth
  • Ascend system with new mutations
  • All-new 3D graphics and units
  • Elixir buffs and Golden Bug bonuses
Features
Read full description

Over 2 MILLION PLAYERS! Swarm Simulator: Evolution brings the strategic, incremental, idle, clicker gameplay of the wildly successful web game into a new 3D world with dozens of new systems and extra features! Evolve your way from lowly larvae and drones to all-powerful hive Overminds and beyond in this idle masterpiece! Conquer territory with fearsome Stingers and Locusts to become a tycoon of unit production. Sacrifice smaller units for the greater good of the colony and Ascend over and over as you build your Swarm toward its ultimate goal of universe spanning conquest! == Swarm Simulator Features == Idle Clicker Gameplay • Endless progression - start with a few lowly units, evolve and hatch your way to unimaginable numbers. • Idle mode - the game will keep progressing whether it's open or not, take a break for a few hours and your Swarm will grow and grow! • Ascend your Swarm to start over on a new world but with powerful new Mutations. Evolution Upgrades • All new 3D graphics and new units, dozens of 3D bugs in a fully 3D world. • Elixirs give short term buffs to your Swarm, use a Rage elixir to capture more territory ... or a Warper elixir to speed up time itself! • Golden Bugs can be captured to give long-term bonuses to your Swarm. • Swarm Lord Invasions, the HFL, Carapace Shards, unlockable skins for your bugs and more! The classic text-based incremental game has been reborn in vibrant 3D. Download Swarm Simulator now and conquer EVERYTHING!

About

Idle Idle GameDev

Create your own idle games without the effort. This app lets you develop various idle games while you yourself go idle. Unlock jobs, stats, skills, and items to progress.

Highlights
  • Create idle games
  • Unlockable jobs
  • Stats and skills system
  • Item and research unlocks
  • Game reset for special skills
  • Challenges and achievements
Features
Read full description

Do you want to make your own Idle Game but you're just too lazy? In Idle Idle Gamedev, you have the opportunity to create various idle games while going idle. Different unlockable Jobs 4 Stats with 9 Skills each Many Items and Research to unlock Reset the game to skill special skills Try a challenge to unlock more skills Many Achievements

Screenshots

Swarm Simulator4 screens
Idle Idle GameDev4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Swarm Simulator at every 9 days against Idle Idle GameDev's every 3 weeks. Swarm Simulator also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 817) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Swarm Simulator sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Idle Idle GameDev sells 7 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 — 4.7 for Swarm Simulator against 4.8 for Idle Idle GameDev. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 817 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Swarm Simulator's written reviews are positive against 77% of Idle Idle GameDev's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swarm Simulator ships an update every 9 days, Idle Idle GameDev every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Swarm Simulator versus Idle Idle GameDev: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwarm SimulatorIdle Idle GameDev
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.7K ratings)4.8 (817 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better76.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better817
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
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
Size158 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIron Horse Games LLCLutz Schoenfelder

Customer experience

Swarm Simulator

All ratings2,719 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.1%
Negative16.6%

Idle Idle GameDev

All ratings817 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral5.3%
Negative18.1%

User reviews

Swarm Simulator

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 💡 Unique incremental mechanics
  • 🔒 Minimal ads, not intrusive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches in recent updates
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

Idle Idle GameDev

From 817 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun gameplay
  • 🚀 Engaging progression
  • 💡 Unique concept
  • 🎮 Great for casual play

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🕹️ Unresponsive controls
  • 📊 Imbalanced economy
  • 🔋 Performance issues

Bugs and requests

Swarm Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Incorrect display of resources and upgrades
  • Issues with cloud save functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Offline mode
  • Customization options
  • Improved progression and endgame

Idle Idle GameDev

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Skill points not updating correctly
  • Game quality fluctuations
  • Player count cap issue
  • Data loss on app crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • In-game tutorial
  • More content updates
  • Improved save/export system
  • Better UI/UX

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Swarm Simulator

One-time11
  • Pouch of Crystals$4.99
  • Elixir Mega Pack$4.99
  • Swarm Supporter Pack$9.99
Show 8 more
  • Bag of Crystals$9.99
  • Crystalline King Pack$9.99
  • Arcane Amplifier Pack$9.99
  • Super Shards Pack$9.99
  • Challenge Crusher Pack$9.99
  • Barrel of Crystals$19.99
  • Elixir Ultra Pack$24.99
  • Storehouse of Crystals$49.99
7 purchases

Idle Idle GameDev

One-time7
  • 250 Bonus Points$4.99
  • No Ads$9.99
  • Starter Pack$9.99
Show 4 more
  • 512 Bonus Points$9.99
  • Dev Pack$49.99
  • 2560 Bonus Points$49.99
  • 5200 Bonus Points$99.99

Questions

Is Swarm Simulator free?
Swarm Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Idle GameDev free?
Idle Idle GameDev is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swarm Simulator or Idle Idle GameDev?
Idle Idle GameDev is rated higher. Swarm Simulator averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Idle Idle GameDev averages 4.8 from 817 ratings.
Do Swarm Simulator or Idle Idle GameDev have ads?
Both Swarm Simulator and Idle Idle GameDev show ads.
Which is updated more often, Swarm Simulator or Idle Idle GameDev?
Swarm Simulator ships an update every 9 days, and Idle Idle GameDev every 3 weeks. Most recently, Swarm Simulator was updated on October 20, 2026 and Idle Idle GameDev on October 15, 2026.

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