Comparison

SwordArtOnline vs Solo Leveling

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

Head to head
About

SwordArtOnline

Step into the world of Sword Art Online as the protagonist in this MMORPG. Team up with other players to conquer Aincrad, forge weapons, and experience an "what-if" story that diverges from the original anime.

Highlights
  • Become the protagonist
  • Cooperative MMORPG gameplay
  • Experience original SAO story from your POV
  • Forge weapons and use skills
  • Battle monsters and complete quests
  • Behind-the-scenes stories
Read full description

The newest Sword Art Online game! This time, the protagonist is...you! You appear in this online RPG as a member of an Assault Team, working with other imprisoned players to reach the 100th floor of Aincrad! What if you were trapped in a game of life or death? You can experience meeting familiar characters and connecting to the original SAO story from your own POV. Experience behind-the-scenes stories not seen in the original SAO, and completely different story developments! Live out a "what-if" story where you affect Aincrad! Battle System Fight through the sprawling fields of Aincrad with your partner Koharu, trapped together in a game of life and death! You'll need to cooperate with Assault Teams across the land and battle together to beat powerful monsters and tough quests! Forging stronger weapons, using skills with all kinds of effects, and preparing for each enemy's weak points and attack patterns are all key to your success! -Boost Mode is a monthly subscription that gives you the following boosts: -Important ・Boost Mode is valid for a month starting from the purchased date and will be automatically renewed each month. ・If cancelled during the validity period, you will continue receiving effect of the boosts until you log out after the expiration date. ・You cannot make duplicate purchases during the validity period. ・Please be aware that deleting the app does not cancel this subscription. -Payment, Duration, Renewal ・Payment of this subscription will be made through Apple ID. ・If cancellation is not made 24 hours prior to the expiration date, the subscription will be renewed automatically. ・The one-month subscription will be renewed automatically within 24 hours before the expiry date and monthly charges will occur at every renewal. -Cancellation ・This subscription must be canceled at least 24 hours prior to the expiration date. ・Cancellation may be completed through the following procedure. 1. Tap Settings > [your name] > iTunes & App Store 2. Tap "Apple ID"" at the top of the screen. 3. Tap "View Apple ID"" then ""Subscriptions" 4. Tap "Boost Mode" purchased on "SWORD ART ONLINE: Integral Factor" to see the purchase history. 5. Cancel subscription by tapping ""Cancel Subscription"" Other Precautions ・There is a possibility that connection problems may occur when purchasing, so please do not close the application while purchase is still processing. ・Terms of Service http://legal.bandainamcoent.co.jp/terms/ ・Privacy Policy http://legal.bandainamcoent.co.jp/privacy/ Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. Website: https://bandainamcoent.co.jp/english/ By downloading or installing this app, you agree to the Bandai Namco Entertainment Terms of Service. Terms of Service: https://legal.bandainamcoent.co.jp/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://legal.bandainamcoent.co.jp/privacy/ Note: This game contains some items available for in-app purchase that can enhance gameplay and speed up your progress. In-app purchases can be disabled in your device settings, see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304 for more details. This application is distributed under the official rights from the license holder.

About

Solo Leveling

Experience the epic webtoon's story as the weakest hunter rises to become the world's strongest. Engage in strategic combat with swappable skills and equipment, recruit an army of shadow soldiers, and challenge powerful bosses in various game modes. New story chapters and content are continuously added.

Highlights
  • Webtoon story adaptation
  • Strategic combat with swappable skills
  • Play as original webtoon hunters
  • Recruit shadow soldier army
  • Challenge dungeons and bosses
  • New story chapters and content
Read full description

2.5th Anniversary Beyond Update! Get 500 Special Summon Tickets, 10,000 Essence Stones, 20 Rate Up Tickets and more! Go Gunhee reimagined! The new Successor, Velvet, makes her debut! Check out the new 4-Hunter Mode and new story chapters! Experience even greater opportunities for growth. Hunters, arise! Get a Legendary Artifact Set + Sung Jinwoo's Black Suit costume just by playing the game! The adaptation of the webtoon with 14.3 billion views is playable NOW! [The action-packed webtoon comes to life with amazing graphics!] Play as Jinwoo and experience every moment of his climb from the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind to the world’s strongest hunter! Experience the webtoon’s story - and discover brand new exclusive stories! [Play strategically with swappable equipment and skills!] Watch your combat style evolve based on your choices! Dodge with Extreme Evasion, and then strike a killing blow with a perfectly timed QTE skill! [Play as the top hunters from the original story!] All your webtoon favorites are here, including: Ultimate Hunter Choi Jong-In, Beastly Baek Yoonho, and the unparalleled Cha Hae-In! Combine different hunters, abilities, and tactics and form your ultimate team! [Challenge dangerous dungeons and defeat powerful bosses!] As you grow stronger, so do the gates! Form your teams, apply your strategies, clear the gates, and obtain rewards! Tackle an array of different game modes, including massive dungeon raids, boss replays, and Time Attack content where every second counts! [Become the Monarch of Shadows and recruit your army!] Command squads of loyal Shadow Soldiers by extracting the shadows of monsters you have defeated and recruiting them as your new allies! The Hunters Association Premium Subscription is a monthly subscription item, and the price of $9.99 per month (or regional equivalent amount) will be charged to your Apple ID after purchase. Payment is made automatically every month from the first payment date until you cancel the subscription, and your Apple ID account will also be charged when the monthly subscription is renewed. Users can cancel the subscription through their Apple account settings, and if they don't cancel their subscription 24 hours before the next payment date, their subscription may be automatically renewed. (*The subscription cancellation policy is based on the marketplace cancellation policy.) Visit the Official Forums for the latest updates and more information about the game! Official forum: https://forum.netmarble.com/slv_en Official Discord: https://discord.gg/sololevelingarise-gl Official Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoloLevelingARISE_GL Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoloLevelingARISE.EN Official Twitter(X): https://twitter.com/Sololv_ARISE_GL Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sololeveling.arise ※ This app offers in-app purchases. You can disable this feature by adjusting your device’s settings. ※ By downloading this game, you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. - Terms of Service: http://help.netmarble.com/policy/terms_of_service.asp?locale=en - Privacy Policy: https://help.netmarble.com/terms/privacy_policy_en?lcLocale=en

Screenshots

SwordArtOnline4 screens
Solo Leveling4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SwordArtOnline at 69% against Solo Leveling's 46%. SwordArtOnline also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Solo Leveling's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and chart position (#67 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SwordArtOnline sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Solo Leveling sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solo Leveling holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 59K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of SwordArtOnline's written reviews are positive against 46% of Solo Leveling's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SwordArtOnline ships an update fortnightly, Solo Leveling monthly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SwordArtOnline versus Solo Leveling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwordArtOnlineSolo Leveling
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (12K ratings)4.7 (59K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better46.3% of reviews
Number of ratings12K59K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#67 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size391 MB300 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperBandai Namco Entertainment Inc.Netmarble Corporation

Customer experience

SwordArtOnline

All ratings11,937 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral5.4%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews466 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral12.9%
Negative18.2%

Solo Leveling

All ratings59,172 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,548 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative39.4%

User reviews

SwordArtOnline

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent graphics and visuals
  • 👍 Engaging storyline and characters
  • 🎮 Smooth and responsive gameplay
  • 📱 Great mobile experience
  • 🎨 Customizable character creation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔁 Repetitive and grindy gameplay
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and level grinding
  • 🔇 Audio issues and sound cutting out

Solo Leveling

From 59K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth combat and animations
  • 🎨 Faithful adaptation of the source material
  • 🎮 Engaging gameplay mechanics
  • 💎 Generous rewards for free-to-play players

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • ⏱️ Excessive loading times between menus
  • 💰 Overwhelming number of microtransactions
  • 🤖 Weak AI companions

Bugs and requests

SwordArtOnline

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Bosses disappearing during battles
  • Characters getting stuck and becoming invisible
  • Inability to change servers or send messages to friends
  • Arcana gems not being properly credited
  • Constant update loop with no available updates

Requested features

7 requests
  • Controller support
  • Ability to change partner character's appearance
  • In-game trading system
  • Player-vs-player (PvP) mode
  • More diverse weapon and skill options
Show 2 more
  • Ability to replay story dialogues
  • Improved social features like guilds and chat

Solo Leveling

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to download patch file
  • Crashes during boss fights and time-limited challenges
  • Progression blockers due to level caps
  • Inconsistent target locking and skill registration

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved network optimization
  • Customizable controls and camera
  • More offline progression options
  • Guild/co-op features

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SwordArtOnline

Subscriptions1
  • Boost Mode$8.991 Month
One-time9
  • Arcanagem A$0.99
  • Arcanagem B$3.99
  • 1H Sword Rookie's Pack$3.99
Show 6 more
  • Arcanagem C$7.99
  • Arcana Gem Pack$7.99
  • Arcanagem D$12.99
  • Arcanagem E$26.99
  • Arcanagem F$39.99
  • Arcanagem G$79.99
10 purchases

Solo Leveling

Subscriptions1
  • H.A. Premium Sub Ticket$9.991 Month
One-time9
  • Daily Draw Ticket Pack$0.99
  • Daily Basic Growth Pack$0.99
  • Rate Up Draw Special Offer$1.99
Show 6 more
  • New_Daily Essence Stones Boost$3.99
  • Daily Diamond Bonus Pack$3.99
  • Daily Essence Stone Support$6.99
  • Daily Growth Support$6.99
  • Daily Growth Support$7.99
  • Deluxe Hunter Pass$18.99

Questions

Is SwordArtOnline free?
SwordArtOnline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Solo Leveling free?
Solo Leveling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SwordArtOnline or Solo Leveling?
Solo Leveling is rated higher. SwordArtOnline averages 4.4 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Solo Leveling averages 4.7 from 59K ratings.
Do SwordArtOnline or Solo Leveling have ads?
Neither SwordArtOnline nor Solo Leveling shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SwordArtOnline or Solo Leveling?
SwordArtOnline ships an update fortnightly, and Solo Leveling monthly. Most recently, SwordArtOnline was updated on November 5, 2026 and Solo Leveling on November 5, 2026.

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