# Idle Planet Miner vs Pocket Forge

The clearest difference is update cadence: Idle Planet Miner at every 6 days against Pocket Forge's every 3 weeks. Idle Planet Miner also leads on chart position (#179 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Planet Miner sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Pocket Forge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Planet Miner ships an update every 6 days, Pocket Forge every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Planet Miner | Pocket Forge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-planet-miner/id1441880123/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#179** | — |
| Size | 311 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Tech Tree Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1175843955) | [Fong Wun Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465365876) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Planet Miner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-planet-miner/id1441880123)

**Currently charting:** #179 Top Grossing · Role Playing, #195 Top Free · Role Playing (US App Store)

Build a space mining empire from scratch in this idle game. Upgrade planets, smelt ore, and hire managers to increase your profits. Compete in weekly tournaments and discover new ways to evolve your digging strategy.

**Highlights:** Idle gameplay with offline earnings, Upgrade mining planets and ships, Smelt ore and craft valuable items, Hire managers for increased output, Compete in weekly multiplayer tournaments, Market simulation for profit maximization, Research special projects for upgrades

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Pack D1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Dark Matter Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium Dark Matter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Miner Pass | $14.99 | one-time |
| Manager Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Merchant Pack | $29.99 | one-time |
| Epic Pack | $29.99 | one-time |
| Exodus Bundle | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth progression and satisfying loop
- 🔒 Optional ads with rewards
- 💡 Interesting research and upgrade system
- 👍 Polished and well-designed game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent offline progress tracking
- ⏱️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Smelting and crafting not working as expected when offline
- Ads not always providing the correct rewards
- Leaderboards and tournaments appearing to be manipulated
- Restore purchases feature not working reliably

**Requested features**

- More offline time or upgrades to increase it
- Ability to rename planets
- Additional end-game content and challenges
- Visual customization options for ships and planets
- Cloud save and cross-device sync


### Pocket Forge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-forge-dungeon-smith/id6814722158)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Forge | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Planet Miner free?

Idle Planet Miner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pocket Forge free?

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

### Do Idle Planet Miner or Pocket Forge have ads?

Both Idle Planet Miner and Pocket Forge show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Planet Miner or Pocket Forge?

Idle Planet Miner ships an update every 6 days, and Pocket Forge every 3 weeks. Most recently, Idle Planet Miner was updated on November 12, 2026 and Pocket Forge 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.*