# Root Board Game vs TMHelper

The clearest difference is price: TMHelper at Free against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

TMHelper is free to download; Root Board Game costs $9.99 up front. Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and TMHelper sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Root Board Game holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Root Board Game has 5.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Root Board Game's written reviews are positive against 67% of TMHelper's.

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, TMHelper every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Root Board Game | TMHelper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmhelper/id1627456078/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **77.1% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 505 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dire Wolf Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/815343758) | [Mike Mailyan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1547807750) |

## What reviewers say

### Root Board Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Paid · Board, #46 Top Paid · Strategy, #138 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

Experience a digital adaptation of a popular tabletop board game. Engage in strategic woodland warfare as 2 to 4 players vie for control of a vast wilderness, leading diverse factions to victory.

**Highlights:** Digital board game adaptation, Adventure and war gameplay, 2-4 player battles, Faction control mechanics, Wilderness exploration

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Clockwork Expansion | $5.99 | one-time |
| Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Riverfolk Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Underworld Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Marauder Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hirelings & Landmarks | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 🎨 Charming visuals and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
- 🧠 Helpful tutorials for learning the game
- 🕹️ Great way to practice and learn the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ AI could be improved, makes questionable decisions
- 🕹️ Lack of undo button frustrating
- 🕹️ Replaying opponent moves can be tedious
- 🕹️ Animations can be slow, need option to speed up

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes during gameplay
- Issues with async game notifications and state
- Bugs with specific faction mechanics (e.g. Vagabond)

**Requested features**

- Add undo button
- Implement option to skip/speed up opponent moves
- Include expansion factions and maps
- Add match history and player stats tracking
- Improve async game notifications and stability


### TMHelper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmhelper/id1627456078)

A companion app for Terraforming Mars and its Ares Expedition expansion. It allows players to easily track global parameters, manage player boards, and keep score for up to five players. Designed for quick, touch-friendly adjustments.

**Highlights:** Track global parameters (oxygen, temperature, oceans), Manage player boards with production/resource controls, Keep Terraforming Rating and player scores, Dedicated Ares Expedition mode, Smart, touch-first controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TMHelper 7-day Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Mars | $0.99 | one-time |
| Earth | $1.99 | one-time |
| Saturn | $2.99 | one-time |
| Jupiter | $3.99 | one-time |
| TMHelper Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Root Board Game free?

Root Board Game costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is TMHelper free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Root Board Game or TMHelper?

Root Board Game is rated higher. Root Board Game averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.9K ratings, while TMHelper averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Root Board Game or TMHelper have ads?

Neither Root Board Game nor TMHelper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Root Board Game or TMHelper?

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, and TMHelper every 10 months. Most recently, Root Board Game was updated on October 25, 2026 and TMHelper on October 17, 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.*