# Mindustry vs Dead Cells

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mindustry at none against Dead Cells's 4. Mindustry also leads on price ($1.99 vs $8.99) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). Dead Cells's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (89% vs 74%). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Mindustry costs $1.99 and Dead Cells $8.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Mindustry asks for nothing beyond the download.

Dead Cells holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dead Cells has 12K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Mindustry's written reviews are positive against 89% of Dead Cells's.

Mindustry ships an update every 4 days, Dead Cells every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mindustry | Dead Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $8.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindustry/id1385258906/reviews) | **[4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1K | **12K** |
| Positive reviews | 74.3% of reviews | **88.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #29 | **#6** |
| Size | 150 MB | 1.8 GB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Anton Kramskoi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1385258905) | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) |

## What reviewers say

### Mindustry

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindustry/id1385258906)

**Currently charting:** #29 Top Paid · Action, #91 Top Paid · Games, #142 Top Paid (US App Store)

Build complex factories, manage supply chains, and defend your base from enemy waves in this real-time strategy game. Conquer planets, research new technologies, and engage in multiplayer battles with friends.

**Highlights:** Factory building and supply chains, Tower defense against enemy waves, Cross-platform multiplayer co-op and PvP, Conquer planets with campaign and procedural sectors, Research new blocks and technologies, Map editor with scripting support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 🚀 Excellent value
- 🚀 Tons of content
- 🚀 Impressive depth

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Unintuitive controls
- 🐛 Lack of tutorial/guidance
- 🐛 Outdated UI for newer devices
- 🐛 Progression bottlenecks

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes on launch
- Freezing and performance issues
- Save data corruption and loss
- Incompatibility with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to save/load custom maps
- More campaign levels and content
- Improved tutorial and onboarding
- Expanded tech tree and upgrades
- Better UI scaling for larger screens


### Dead Cells

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Paid · Role Playing, #13 Top Paid · Action, #40 Top Paid · Games, #59 Top Paid (US App Store)

Explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle as a failed alchemic experiment. Master frantic 2D combat with a variety of weapons and skills against dangerous foes. Death is not the end; learn from each attempt to progress through this roguevania action platformer.

**Highlights:** Roguevania exploration, Frantic 2D action combat, Nonlinear progression, Permadeath with learning, Unlockable weapons and skills, DLC content packs

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Bad Seed | $3.99 | one-time |
| Fatal Falls | $3.99 | one-time |
| The Queen and the Sea | $3.99 | one-time |
| Return to Castlevania | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Excellent controls
- 💎 High-quality graphics
- 🎮 Great controller support
- 🔥 Addictive and challenging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio glitches and bugs
- 🤔 Lack of custom mode
- 📱 Finicky touch controls
- 🔇 No background music support

**Reported bugs**

- Saves not compatible across platforms
- Texture and graphical issues on some devices
- Persistent memory leaks causing performance drops

**Requested features**

- Add Chinese language support
- Implement cross-save functionality
- Introduce online multiplayer mode
- Optimize for older devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mindustry free?

Mindustry costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Dead Cells free?

Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mindustry or Dead Cells?

Dead Cells is rated higher. Mindustry averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Dead Cells averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.

### Do Mindustry or Dead Cells have ads?

Neither Mindustry nor Dead Cells shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mindustry or Dead Cells?

Mindustry ships an update every 4 days, and Dead Cells every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mindustry was updated on September 25, 2026 and Dead Cells on September 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Mindustry or Dead Cells?

Mindustry currently peaks at #29 in the App Store charts, and Dead Cells at #6. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*