Comparison

AFK Arena vs Arknights

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

Head to head
About

AFK Arena

Embark on an epic RPG adventure with friends, collect over 1,000 heroes, and tackle new challenges. Borrow powerful heroes from teammates and enhance your gameplay with an upgraded beast system. Rejoin classic modes and discover exciting new features.

Highlights
  • Collect 1,000+ heroes
  • Borrow heroes from friends
  • Enhanced beast system
  • New co-op modes
  • Tougher campaign challenges
  • Classic server hero comeback
Read full description

Bring your friends and dive into the adventure for even more rewards! In AFK Arena: Companions, you'll get 1,000+ summons, join the "Get All Heroes" event, borrow top-tier heroes from friends, take on tougher new campaign challenges, try out new co-op modes, explore the upgraded beast system, and discover tons of other new features. Meanwhile, the original AFK Arena's most popular modes and challenges are making a triumphant comeback! Your classic server heroes are ready to join the fight in AFK Arena: Companions. There's no better time than now to rejoin the adventure! 【Get All Heroes】 No more worries about missing out on your favorite heroes! The "Get All Heroes" event is live. Progress through the campaign mode to unlock all your beloved heroes. 【1,000+ Summons】 Log in now for a chance of 10 summons every day, with a total exceeding 1,000. No more diamond worries. Just summon to your heart's content! 【Share Heroes with Friends】 Skip the grind. In AFK Arena: Companions, you can borrow strong heroes from your teammates, streamline your resources, and win faster with less effort. 【Enhanced Beast System】 Discover, capture, and train beasts to unlock a variety of powerful abilities. Combine their unique attributes to craft your own beast and turn the tide of battle! Join us now in AFK Arena: Companions and embark on your delightful adventures! About Subscriptions and Apple Website Subscriptions 1. Pricing & Billing Cycle Enable “Subscription (Weekly)” within the game for $0.99 a week, which will be billed weekly (every 7 days). (Price may vary depending on your location.) Enable “Subscription (Monthly)” within the game for $2.99 a week, which will be billed every natural month (every 30 days). (Price may vary depending on your location.) 2. Subscription Content Subscribers will be eligible for certain perks during the subscription period, including: - Team Bounty Quests +1 - Increases AFK Rewards Gold Quantity By +10% - Increases King’s Tower Mercenary Uses By +1 - Increases Faction Tower Mercenary Uses By +1 - Increases Campaign Mercenary Uses By +1 - Guild Coin Drop Quantity +10% - Labyrinth Token Drop Quantity +10% 3. Automatic Subscription Renewal The App Store subscription is auto-renewed with payment confirmed via your iTunes Account. Users can manage the auto-renew manually through the iTunes/Apple ID Settings Manager. The subscription will auto-renew for the assigned billing period if the auto-renew feature is not turned off 24 hours before the current subscription expires. 4. User Agreement and Privacy Policy User Agreement https://afk-artworks.lilithgames.com/en/service.html Privacy Statement http://www.lilithgames.com/privacy_lilith.html 5. Subscription Cancellation If you would like to cancel your subscription, go to ‘Settings’ on your iOS device --> ‘iTunes & App Store’ --> tap ‘Apple ID’ and then ‘View Apple ID’. Enter ‘Account Settings’, tap ‘Subscriptions’ --> ‘Manage’ and select the subscription for ‘AFK Arena’ to cancel it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: http://www.lilithgames.com/privacy_lilith.html

About

Arknights

Lead a pharmaceutical company fighting a deadly infection and societal unrest. Recruit and train unique Operators, deploy them in strategic operations, and build your base. Experience a rich anime-style world with a compelling soundtrack and voice acting.

Highlights
  • Anime-style RPG and strategy gameplay
  • Hundreds of unique Operators
  • Auto Deploy system
  • Base construction system
  • Robust soundtrack and voice acting
Features
Read full description

Take on the role of a key member of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company that fights both a deadly infection and the unrest it leaves in its wake. Together with your leader Amiya, you’ll recruit Operators, train them, then assign them to various operations to protect the innocent and resist those who would thrust the world into turmoil. ・Gorgeous anime-style game with a perfect combination of RPG and strategy elements ・Hundreds of unique Operators across a variety of classes open up countless gameplay options ・Auto Deploy system conveniently allows you to free up your hands ・Carve out a home, just the way you want it, with the Base construction system ・A robust soundtrack and some of the most famous Japanese voice actors and actresses will give you a sublime auditory experience. Arknights Official Homepage: https://www.arknights.global/ Official Discord Server: https://discord.gg/arknights Official X Account: https://x.com/ArknightsEN Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArknightsGlobal/ Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arknights_messenger_official/

Screenshots

AFK Arena4 screens
Arknights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: AFK Arena at 498K against Arknights's 10K. AFK Arena also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Arknights's advantage is chart position (#64 vs unranked). 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. AFK Arena sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Arknights sells 29 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 AFK Arena against 4.7 for Arknights. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AFK Arena has 498K ratings behind it against 10K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of AFK Arena's written reviews are positive against 74% of Arknights's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFK Arena ships an update fortnightly, Arknights every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
AFK Arena versus Arknights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFK ArenaArknights
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (498K ratings) — better4.7 (10K ratings)
Positive reviews78.7% of reviews — better74.2% of reviews
Number of ratings498K — better10K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#64 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size634 MB3.1 GB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperLilith GamesYOSTAR LIMITED

Customer experience

AFK Arena

All ratings497,729 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews2,793 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral6.4%
Negative14.9%

Arknights

All ratings10,153 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews1,110 reviews
Positive74.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative19.0%

User reviews

AFK Arena

From 498K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Strategy over spending
  • 👍 Enjoyable and addictive
  • 🎨 Wonderful art and animations
  • ⏱️ Relaxing AFK gameplay
  • 💰 Generous with free rewards

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Progression locked behind paywalls
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Slow progression for F2P players
  • 🤖 Unbalanced hero power levels
  • 📊 Lack of guild and community features

Arknights

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 F2P friendly
  • 🚀 Generous with premium currency
  • 💎 Excellent character designs and art
  • 🎨 Beautiful soundtrack
  • 🧠 Challenging and strategic gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Slow progression without spending
  • 🤔 Confusing UI and menus
  • 📚 Overwhelming for new players
  • 🧠 Difficulty spike in later stages

Bugs and requests

AFK Arena

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Constant crashing and freezing issues
  • Unreliable login and account linking
  • Progression halted by memory issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved summoning rates and guarantees
  • More ways to earn resources for F2P
  • Better PvP matchmaking and rewards
  • Expanded guild and social features
  • Optimization for older/lower-end devices

Arknights

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on iOS devices after recent update
  • Auto-deploy function not working as intended
  • Login errors and lost progress issues
  • Incorrect or missing translations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add auto-repeat/skip function for cleared stages
  • Improve base management and resource gathering
  • Implement a chat/social system
  • Increase sanity/energy regeneration rate
  • Add language options beyond English

In-app purchases

10 purchases

AFK Arena

Subscriptions1
  • Subscription (Monthly)3 Days trial$2.991 Month
One-time9
  • $0.99 Pack$0.99
  • $1.99 Pack$1.99
  • $4.99 Pack$4.99
Show 6 more
  • $9.99 Pack$9.99
  • $14.99 Pack$14.99
  • $19.99Pack$19.99
  • $24.99 Pack$24.99
  • $49.99 Pack$49.99
  • $99.99 Pack$99.99
29 purchases

Arknights

One-time29
  • Extract a piece of Originium$0.99
  • Ambience Synesthesia 2025 Pack$0.99
  • Friendship Commemorative Pack$1.99
Show 26 more
  • Partners Commemorative Pack$1.99
  • Extract a cluster of Originium$4.99
  • Monthly Card$4.99
  • Alluring Moonlight Pack$4.99
  • Hopes and Dreams Pack$4.99
  • Honey Party Pack$4.99
  • Never Gilded HeadhuntingBundle$8.99
  • Exclusive Headhunting Bundle$8.99
  • Weekly Growth Pack$9.99
  • Tales of Stratopolis Pack$11.99
  • Extract a pile of Originium$14.99
  • Starter Headhunting Pack$19.99
  • Monthly Headhunting Pack$25.99
  • Safety Drill Memorial Pack$25.99
  • Perish In Frost Pack$29.99
  • Rhodes Island Headhunting Pack2 variants$29.99
  • Rhodes Island Celebration Kit$29.99
  • Sky Mirror Pack$29.99
  • Extract a pack of Originium$29.99
  • Carnevale Pack$29.99
  • Celebration of Flood Pack$29.99
  • Rhodes Island Resource Pack$29.99
  • Dahuang Sightseeing Pack$29.99
  • Extract a box of Originium$49.99
  • Rhodes Island Resource Pack$49.99
  • Extract a crate of Originium$99.99

Questions

Is AFK Arena free?
AFK Arena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arknights free?
Arknights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AFK Arena or Arknights?
AFK Arena is rated higher. AFK Arena averages 4.7 out of 5 from 498K ratings, while Arknights averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do AFK Arena or Arknights have ads?
Neither AFK Arena nor Arknights shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AFK Arena or Arknights?
AFK Arena ships an update fortnightly, and Arknights every 2 months. Most recently, AFK Arena was updated on October 31, 2026 and Arknights on October 31, 2026.

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