# Machinal Instinct vs BarbarQ 2

The clearest difference is ads: BarbarQ 2 at none against Machinal Instinct's shown. Machinal Instinct's advantage is ratings volume (706 vs 69). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Machinal Instinct sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and BarbarQ 2 sells 10 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 — 4.6 for Machinal Instinct against 4.6 for BarbarQ 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Machinal Instinct has 706 ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Machinal Instinct's written reviews are positive against 47% of BarbarQ 2's.

Machinal Instinct ships an update every 3 weeks, BarbarQ 2 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Machinal Instinct | BarbarQ 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (706 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/machinal-instinct/id1438524773/reviews)** | [4.6 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbarq-2/id1645492527/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **706** | 69 |
| Positive reviews | **51.4% of reviews** | 46.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 337 MB | 1.5 GB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pomelo Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/899606172) | [Electronic Soul](https://appshunter.io/developer/1159555040) |

## What reviewers say

### Machinal Instinct

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/machinal-instinct/id1438524773)

Engage in fast-paced mech battles in a global tournament where animal pilots command powerful machines. Customize your fighting style with various weapons and upgrade your mech with unlockable parts to climb the global leaderboard.

**Highlights:** Select from 6 mech pilots, Customize melee and ranged weapons, Win supply boxes for rewards, Unlock and combine upgradable mech parts, Battle in 3 different arenas, Climb the global leaderboard

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gems x80 pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gems x500 pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Gems x1,200 pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gems x2,500 pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Gems x6,500 pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Gems x14,000 pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth animations
- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 🕹️ Accessible controls
- 💎 Great fighting game fundamentals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent attack targeting
- 🔧 Buggy mechanics and controls
- 🕰️ Short match duration
- 🤖 Mostly playing against bots
- 📺 Excessive ads and monetization

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Freezing at loading screens
- Matchmaking issues
- Inconsistent performance

**Requested features**

- Longer match duration
- Real-time multiplayer mode
- More character and weapon variety
- Customizable controls
- Additional game modes (e.g. endless, team battles)


### BarbarQ 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbarq-2/id1645492527)

Engage in a lighthearted action game where you build an island clan, recruit heroes, and explore. Experience classic survival brawls with new PvE and PvP modes, offering expanded progression and dynamic combat.

**Highlights:** 3v3v3 Survival Brawl, Solo 'Search–Fight–Evacuate' Mode, Mushroom Mayhem Upgrades, 13 Unlockable Heroes, Hero Rune System, Limited-Time Events, Random In-Match Events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 60 Rainbow Diamonds | $0.29 | one-time |
| 320 Rainbow Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Shiny Month Card | $4.99 | one-time |
| 750 Rainbow Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1500 Rainbow Diamonds | $19.99 | one-time |
| Golden Permanent Card | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2400 Rainbow Diamonds | $29.99 | one-time |
| 4000 Rainbow Diamonds | $49.99 | one-time |
| 8500 Rainbow Diamonds | $99.99 | one-time |
| 17000 Rainbow Diamonds | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Machinal Instinct free?

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

### Is BarbarQ 2 free?

BarbarQ 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Machinal Instinct or BarbarQ 2?

Machinal Instinct is rated higher. Machinal Instinct averages 4.6 out of 5 from 706 ratings, while BarbarQ 2 averages 4.6 from 69 ratings.

### Do Machinal Instinct or BarbarQ 2 have ads?

Machinal Instinct shows ads; BarbarQ 2 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Machinal Instinct or BarbarQ 2?

Machinal Instinct ships an update every 3 weeks, and BarbarQ 2 monthly. Most recently, Machinal Instinct was updated on October 29, 2026 and BarbarQ 2 on October 30, 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.*