# AFK Arena vs Arknights

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 (#65 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | AFK Arena | Arknights |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (498K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afk-arena/id1375425432/reviews)** | [4.7 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arknights/id1464872022/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **498K** | 10K |
| Positive reviews | **78.7% of reviews** | 74.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#65** |
| Size | 634 MB | 3.1 GB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Lilith Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/982119759) | [YOSTAR LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1411126548) |

## What reviewers say

### AFK Arena

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afk-arena/id1375425432)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| $0.99 Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| $1.99 Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| $4.99 Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| $9.99 Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| $14.99 Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| $19.99Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| $24.99 Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| $49.99 Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| $99.99 Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arknights/id1464872022)

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Card, #91 Top Grossing · Strategy (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (29)**

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

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*