# House Stack vs Merge Mayor

The clearest difference is update cadence: Merge Mayor at every 4 days against House Stack's every 6 weeks. Merge Mayor also leads on ratings volume (27K vs 221). House Stack's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. House Stack sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Merge Mayor sells 14 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 — 4.7 for House Stack against 4.8 for Merge Mayor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merge Mayor has 27K ratings behind it against 221, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of House Stack's written reviews are positive against 64% of Merge Mayor's.

House Stack ships an update every 6 weeks, Merge Mayor every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | House Stack | Merge Mayor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (221 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/house-stack/id1458713825/reviews) | **[4.8 (27K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-mayor/id1487461340/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 221 | **27K** |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 151 MB | 377 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Full Fat Productions Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/374306144) | [Starberry Games GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1228073651) |

## What reviewers say

### House Stack

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/house-stack/id1458713825)

Tap and drag building bricks to construct a towering home. Unlock new improvements and decorative items as you progress. Challenge yourself to build the tallest structure without it toppling over.

**Highlights:** Tap and drag brick placement, Unlock house improvements, Add decorative items, Level up gameplay, Stack bricks to build tall

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continues | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


### Merge Mayor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-mayor/id1487461340)

Become the new Mayor and transform a small town into a thriving metropolis. Solve match puzzles, build, organize, and upgrade your city. Enjoy fresh 3D graphics, discover hidden stories, and unlock new areas in this relaxing yet challenging game.

**Highlights:** Build and upgrade your city, Solve merge puzzles, Repair and renovate homes, Discover hidden stories, Unlock new areas, Fresh 3D graphics, Seasonal items and events

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handful of gems | $1.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer S | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special Shop Offer S | $1.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer M | $2.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer | $2.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hat full of gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer L | $4.99 | one-time |
| Safe key | $4.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer | $5.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer | $6.99 | one-time |
| Box of gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Shop Offer XL | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 No forced ads
- 👍 Cute and appealing graphics
- 💡 Generous rewards for watching optional ads
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Ability to progress without spending money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 Energy system depletes quickly
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes after recent updates
- 🔋 Slow energy recharge time
- 💰 Progression feels gated by in-app purchases
- 🔋 Limited storage space requiring frequent selling/trashing of items

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when trying to claim rewards
- Ads sometimes fail to load or freeze the game
- Progression blocked due to inability to unlock new areas

**Requested features**

- Ability to sell/trade excess items
- Faster energy recharge
- More storage space
- Ability to skip or dismiss pop-up bubbles
- More varied and frequent content updates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is House Stack free?

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

### Is Merge Mayor free?

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

### Which has better reviews, House Stack or Merge Mayor?

Merge Mayor is rated higher. House Stack averages 4.7 out of 5 from 221 ratings, while Merge Mayor averages 4.8 from 27K ratings.

### Do House Stack or Merge Mayor have ads?

Neither House Stack nor Merge Mayor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, House Stack or Merge Mayor?

House Stack ships an update every 6 weeks, and Merge Mayor every 4 days. Most recently, House Stack was updated on October 7, 2026 and Merge Mayor on October 16, 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.*