# Root Board Game vs Hive® Game

The clearest difference is price: Hive® Game at Free against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (5.4K vs 280). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Hive® Game is free to download; Root Board Game costs $9.99 up front. Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Hive® Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 5.4K ratings behind it against 280, 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 63% of Hive® Game's.

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, Hive® Game every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Root Board Game | Hive® Game |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206/reviews)** | [4.5 (280 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.4K** | 280 |
| Positive reviews | **77.1% of reviews** | 63.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 505 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dire Wolf Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/815343758) | [GiantStep Kft.](https://appshunter.io/developer/557576540) |

## What reviewers say

### Root Board Game

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

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Paid · Board, #41 Top Paid · Strategy, #105 Top Paid · Games, #186 Top Paid, #190 Top Grossing · Board (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


### Hive® Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729)

Experience the award-winning strategy board game digitally. This app offers a faithful adaptation of the classic game, featuring challenging AI, all official expansions, and customizable visuals. Perfect for both new players and seasoned veterans.

**Highlights:** Official Hive® rules and design, Includes all three official expansions, Advanced RustyBlade™ AI, Adjustable difficulty for beginners, Video tutorial by game creator, Customizable visual settings, Local network play

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Elite Edition | $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 Hive® Game free?

Hive® Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Root Board Game or Hive® Game?

Root Board Game is rated higher. Root Board Game averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.4K ratings, while Hive® Game averages 4.5 from 280 ratings.

### Do Root Board Game or Hive® Game have ads?

Neither Root Board Game nor Hive® Game shows ads.

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

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, and Hive® Game every 11 days. Most recently, Root Board Game was updated on October 19, 2026 and Hive® Game on October 20, 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.*