# Stardew Valley vs DREDGE

The clearest difference is price: DREDGE at Free against Stardew Valley's $4.99. Stardew Valley's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

DREDGE is free to download; Stardew Valley costs $4.99 up front. DREDGE sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Stardew Valley asks for nothing beyond the download.

Stardew Valley holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stardew Valley has 64K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Stardew Valley's written reviews are positive against 60% of DREDGE's.

Stardew Valley ships an update every 3 days, DREDGE every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stardew Valley | DREDGE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (64K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800/reviews)** | [4.3 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dredge/id6526463862/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **64K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | **73.4% of reviews** | 59.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 442 MB | 768 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ConcernedApe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620477446) | [Black Salt Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1756207154) |

## What reviewers say

### Stardew Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Role Playing, #3 Top Paid · Simulation, #6 Top Paid · Games, #9 Top Paid, #178 Top Grossing · Role Playing (US App Store)

Cultivate a new life in this open-ended farming RPG. Build your dream farm, raise animals, grow crops, and explore mysterious caves. Customize your farmer, settle down, and become part of a vibrant community.

**Highlights:** Build and customize your farm, Raise animals and grow crops, Explore caves and battle monsters, Develop relationships and start a family, Participate in festivals and quests, Fishing and foraging activities, Mobile-specific controls and auto-save

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive and fun
- 👍 Engaging storylines
- 🌟 Beautiful game
- 🎮 Great gameplay
- 🕹️ Relaxing and calming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficult to find/catch fish
- 🎮 Challenging controls, especially for combat
- 🔁 Repetitive dialogue/events
- 🔧 Bugs with furniture placement and interactions

**Reported bugs**

- Fishing rod sound bug
- Sewer key cutscene not triggering
- Furniture/building placement issues
- Inventory/interaction bugs
- Crashing when entering certain areas

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer support
- More NPC interactions and relationships
- Ability to grow up/customize children
- Joystick/controller support
- More end-game content and challenges


### DREDGE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dredge/id6526463862)

Captain a fishing trawler to explore remote islands and their depths, selling catches and completing quests to uncover secrets. Upgrade your boat and research equipment to reach new areas, but beware of the dangers lurking in the dark.

**Highlights:** Explore remote islands and depths, Catch and sell over 125 sea creatures, Complete quests and uncover secrets, Upgrade boat with researchable equipment, Navigate treacherous waters, Survive encounters in the dark

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Blackstone Key | $0.49 | one-time |
| Blackstone Key | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Pale Reach | $2.39 | one-time |
| The Iron Rig | $4.79 | one-time |
| The Pale Reach | $5.99 | one-time |
| Base Game Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |
| The Iron Rig | $11.99 | one-time |
| Base Game Unlock | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game
- 🚀 Excellent port to mobile
- 🎮 Supports controllers
- 🎨 Stunning graphics
- 🕹️ Intuitive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive for a mobile game
- 🔍 Misleading 'free' description
- 📱 Text/UI too small on phones
- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
- 🎮 Controller support needs improvement

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Controller issues
- Inventory/menu navigation problems

**Requested features**

- Larger text and UI options
- Cross-save between devices
- More content and DLC
- Minimap or navigation aids
- Ability to walk around boat/town


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stardew Valley free?

Stardew Valley costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is DREDGE free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Stardew Valley or DREDGE?

Stardew Valley is rated higher. Stardew Valley averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while DREDGE averages 4.3 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Stardew Valley or DREDGE have ads?

Neither Stardew Valley nor DREDGE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stardew Valley or DREDGE?

Stardew Valley ships an update every 3 days, and DREDGE every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stardew Valley was updated on November 10, 2026 and DREDGE on November 10, 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.*