# Dead Cells vs Moonlight

The clearest difference is price: Moonlight at $0.99 against Dead Cells's $8.99. Moonlight also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Dead Cells's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 3) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Dead Cells costs $8.99 and Moonlight $0.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Moonlight asks for nothing beyond the download.

Moonlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dead Cells has 12K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, Moonlight every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dead Cells | Moonlight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | [4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moonlight/id1587249034/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 88.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#6** | — |
| Size | 1.8 GB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) | [Daniil Vinogradov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1337151805) |

## What reviewers say

### Dead Cells

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

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Paid · Role Playing, #22 Top Paid · Action, #72 Top Paid · Games, #120 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


### Moonlight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moonlight/id1587249034)

Stream PC games to your mobile devices with enhanced features like a virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input. Requires a gamepad and PC-side streaming software for hosting.

**Highlights:** Open-source and free, Stream games from any store, Up to 4K 120 FPS streaming, Virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input, Bluetooth controller support, Local co-op with multiple controllers

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dead Cells free?

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

### Is Moonlight free?

Moonlight costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Moonlight is rated higher. Dead Cells averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Moonlight averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Dead Cells or Moonlight have ads?

Neither Dead Cells nor Moonlight shows ads.

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

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, and Moonlight every 10 days. Most recently, Dead Cells was updated on October 16, 2026 and Moonlight on October 9, 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.*