# Grim Defender vs Catboxes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Catboxes at none against Grim Defender's 10. Catboxes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Grim Defender's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Grim Defender sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Catboxes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Catboxes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grim Defender has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Grim Defender ships an update every 3 months, Catboxes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grim Defender | Catboxes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-defender-castle-defense/id1378304905/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catboxes/id6764232927/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 87.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 190 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BYTEGHOUL GAMES](https://appshunter.io/developer/1378304904) | [Nicholas Hart](https://appshunter.io/developer/1765238383) |

## What reviewers say

### Grim Defender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-defender-castle-defense/id1378304905)

Engage in fast-paced castle defense with strategic upgrades and skill. Defend your base against endless monster waves, gather resources, and combine a vast array of weapons, spells, and traps to become stronger. Compete with others and play offline.

**Highlights:** Upgrade and defend your castle, Defend against endless monster waves, Gather resources and improve defenses, Equip and combine crossbows, spells, and traps, Offline play capability, Daily quests and global leaderboards

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Darkgold Pack XS | $1.89 | one-time |
| 3 Darkgold | $2.99 | one-time |
| 5 Darkgold | $4.99 | one-time |
| Darkgold Pack S | $5.99 | one-time |
| 10 Darkgold | $8.99 | one-time |
| Darkgold Pack M | $10.99 | one-time |
| 20 Darkgold | $16.99 | one-time |
| Darkgold Pack L | $19.99 | one-time |
| Darkgold Pack XL | $34.99 | one-time |
| Darkgold Pack XXL | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and fun gameplay
- 🕹️ Satisfying progression and upgrades
- 💰 Generous free-to-play model
- 🕰️ Great time-waster game
- 🎨 Customizable defense strategies

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Dark gold is too rare to obtain
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Account progress loss issues
- 📺 Intrusive ads in some cases
- 🤖 Lack of multiplayer/social features

**Reported bugs**

- Progress/purchase loss after updates
- Crashes and freezes during gameplay
- Inability to close ads after watching

**Requested features**

- More diverse enemy types
- Additional tower/weapon options
- Prestige system or resets
- Improved dark gold acquisition
- Multiplayer/co-op gameplay


### Catboxes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catboxes/id6764232927)

A digital adaptation of the classic pencil-and-paper strategy game, featuring unique feline-themed twists. Engage in tactical box capturing with hidden hazards and treats that alter gameplay. Enjoy customizable boards, AI opponents, and family-friendly fun.

**Highlights:** Capture boxes by drawing lines, Hidden hazards and treats modify gameplay, Play with up to 4 players (pass-and-play), Adjustable AI opponents and difficulty, Multiple board sizes and unique shapes, Save and resume games, Dark and light mode support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grim Defender free?

Grim Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Catboxes free?

Catboxes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Grim Defender or Catboxes?

Catboxes is rated higher. Grim Defender averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Catboxes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Grim Defender or Catboxes have ads?

Grim Defender shows ads; Catboxes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Grim Defender or Catboxes?

Grim Defender ships an update every 3 months, and Catboxes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Grim Defender was updated on October 25, 2026 and Catboxes on October 12, 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.*