Comparison

Tender vs Idle Acorns

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Tender

This narrative game simulates the modern dating experience with an intergalactic twist. Swipe through alien profiles, chat with matches, and schedule dates to explore branching storylines about connection and rejection.

Highlights
  • Swipe through intergalactic profiles
  • Chat with matches
  • Schedule and play out dates
  • Branching storylines
  • Narrative game
Features
Read full description

Tender is a narrative game that explores connection and rejection in the era of swipe culture. It’s a story told by and through the modern interface for finding love. - Swipe through hundreds of intergalactic profiles - Chat with your matches and hope the sparks fly - Schedule dates in your calendar and play them out in real time - Unfold a vast array of branching storylines CW: Toxic relationships Written by Gideon Lazarus Art by Jie En Lee Programmed by Kenny Sun

About

Idle Acorns

A classic idle clicker game with a charming narrative. Explore diverse environments, gather resources, craft items, and play mini-games. Enjoy a pure, ad-free experience with no in-app purchases or data mining.

Highlights
  • Resource gathering and upgrades
  • Crafting over 24 items
  • Fishing and cooking mini-game
  • Gardening and tree growing
  • Campfire for inviting characters
  • iCloud backup support
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

Inspired by the classics, Idle Acorns is a fun mobile clicker game that features no advertisements, no in-app purchases, and no data-mining. Inspired by the clicker games of the old internet, Idle Acorns brings a fun narrative to the mobile clicker arena but without getting weighed down by advertisements, in-app purchases or data mining. Explore the forest and ocean with Benny the squirrel and enjoy everything from fishing, to gardening. Unlock the campfire to invite new characters, collect resources, and craft items. Featuring 4 mini-games, iCloud backup support, Game Center support, iMessage sticker pack, and more! Like classic Idle games, Idle Acorns respects time travel. Please note that time travel will disable Game Center features. Shake the tree to gather acorns. Purchase upgrades and enlist scavengers to collect acorns while you are away! Sell your acorns, and unlock new areas in the shop. Speak with Benny the squirrel to navigate your adventure. Cast your line, and catch fish in the ocean. Open the map to visit your acres of land, or upgrade your offline collection. Unlock the campfire and invite all new characters. Trade resources and buy recipes to craft over 24 new items. - Forge diamonds and buy upgrades - Go fishing and cook fish - Buy land and grow trees - Unlock the campfire and trade resources - Buy recipes and craft items - 4 Mini-Games - Share resources with friends - Lots of character dialogue - Seasonal events - iCloud backup support - Game Center leaderboards and achievements - iMessage sticker pack IMPORTANT: iPhone SE (2016 First Generation) and iPod touch are not supported.

Screenshots

Tender4 screens
Idle Acorns4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tender at every 3 days against Idle Acorns's every 6 weeks. Tender also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.1). Idle Acorns's advantage is chart position (#85 vs unranked) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tender costs $3.99 and Idle Acorns $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Tender against 4.8 for Idle Acorns. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 545 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Tender's written reviews are positive against 60% of Idle Acorns's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tender ships an update every 3 days, Idle Acorns every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tender versus Idle Acorns: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTenderIdle Acorns
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.7 (545 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better60.2% of reviews
Number of ratings5451.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#85 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.1
Further details — not scored
Size337 MB149 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKenny Sunaleros.io LLC

Customer experience

Tender

All ratings545 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral9.5%
Negative14.3%

Idle Acorns

All ratings1,216 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive60.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative29.6%

User reviews

Tender

From 545 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Lovely art and design
  • 🤖 Unique concept of dating aliens
  • 🕰️ Realistic real-time pacing
  • 🤗 Charming and memorable characters

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow pace of matches and conversations
  • 🙅‍♀️ Difficulty progressing relationships
  • 🙃 Frustrating when dates go poorly
  • 🤯 Emotionally impactful (in a good and bad way)

Idle Acorns

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Charming and relaxing
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🎨 Pleasant aesthetics
  • 🕹️ Satisfying gameplay loop
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow progression and pacing
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics and lack of explanation
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔌 Limited offline progress
  • 🔢 Inconsistent upgrade costs

Bugs and requests

Tender

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Dialogue getting stuck or resetting
  • Progress being lost or reset unexpectedly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to pause or schedule dates
  • More diverse character profiles and storylines
  • Faster swiping and response times
  • Ability to continue relationships beyond first date

Idle Acorns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tree disappearing issue
  • Bat not recognizing feather purchases
  • Zoom and UI issues on certain devices
  • Negative acorn balance after time manipulation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More late-game content
  • Improved UI and navigation
  • Better explanation of game mechanics
  • Increased offline progress

In-app purchases

None

Tender

No in-app purchases

None

Idle Acorns

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tender free?
Tender costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Idle Acorns free?
Idle Acorns costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tender or Idle Acorns?
Idle Acorns is rated higher. Tender averages 4.7 out of 5 from 545 ratings, while Idle Acorns averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Tender or Idle Acorns have ads?
Neither Tender nor Idle Acorns shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tender or Idle Acorns?
Tender ships an update every 3 days, and Idle Acorns every 6 weeks. Most recently, Tender was updated on September 22, 2026 and Idle Acorns on September 30, 2026.

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