Comparison

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab vs Critical

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

Head to head
About

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab

Become a medieval alchemist and discover new elements starting with air. Combine elements to upgrade your lab, create worlds, and complete planet quests. Enjoy hours of fun with unique elements and animations.

Highlights
  • Discover 19 unique elements
  • Upgrade transmutation power
  • Create your own world
  • Complete 36 planet quests
  • Enjoy nice animations
  • Receive weekly rewards
Features
Read full description

You are the alchemist: medieval mad scientist! All what you have at the start is Air. But then you discover, how to get other elements: Water, Earth, Slime, Rock, Fire and so on! As you alchemy laboratory grows, you can spend elements to upgrade the transmutation power or to create a whole world of you own. Once created, the world will help you boost your laboratory. The game contains: - 19 various and often unexpected elements - 36 planet quests: from atmosphere to dinosaurs - nice animations of elements transmutations and world creation - weekly rewards (check twitter.com/airapport for details) - integrated tutorial And provides hours and days of fun in the mad science and alchemy setting! Start you own idle alchemy adventure and solve the puzzles which nature beholds.

About

Critical

Manage a reactor to prevent it from becoming critical by delivering water. Earn money over time to unlock permanent upgrades and improve your survival capabilities. Invest wisely to extend your runs and uncover secrets.

Highlights
  • Reactor management
  • Incremental income generation
  • Permanent upgrades
  • Research and secrets
  • Survival gameplay
Features
Read full description

Stop the reactor from going critical by delivering water. Robots are expensive though, so we use cheap expendable personnel instead. Money earned ramps up incrementally the longer you last. Survive as long as possible to maximize your income! Spend your hard earned cash to unlock permanent upgrades. Invest wisely to make each new run longer than the last. Tons of upgrades to buy, research to be done, and secrets to uncover. Give it a try! The longer you can keep the reactor from exploding, the more money you’ll make. Start small and watch your income grow exponentially as you survive longer and longer. Delay the inevitable cataclysm as long as possible and watch your cashflow go through the roof.

Screenshots

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab3 screens
Critical4 screens

Verdict

The call

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab and Critical both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 68% of Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab's written reviews are positive against 18% of Critical's. Critical's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

Both are free to download. Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Critical sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab against 4.4 for Critical. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 104 and 125 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab's written reviews are positive against 18% of Critical's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab ships an update every 7 months, Critical fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab versus Critical: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle Alchemy Transmutation LabCritical
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (104 ratings) — better4.4 (125 ratings)
Positive reviews67.9% of reviews — better18.2% of reviews
Number of ratings104125 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexey IzvalovWaffleStack Studio LLC

Customer experience

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab

All ratings104 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive67.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative25.0%

Critical

All ratings125 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral18.2%
Negative63.6%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab

One-time4
  • Reservoirs booster$1.99
  • Bonuses boost$2.99
  • Flow booster$3.99
Show 1 more
  • No Ads + upgrades 2x cheaper$5.99
17 purchases

Critical

One-time17
  • 100 Gems$2.99
  • 100 Gems$4.99
  • Remove Ads$7.99
Show 14 more
  • 225 Gems$7.99
  • Starter Pack$9.99
  • Remove All Ads$9.99
  • 225 Gems$9.99
  • 500 Gems$9.99
  • Pro Pack$9.99
  • Pro Pack$14.99
  • New Player Sale$14.99
  • 500 Gems$14.99
  • 1400 Gems$19.99
  • 800 Gems$19.99
  • 1400 Gems$29.99
  • 3000 Gems$29.99
  • 3000 Gems$39.99

Questions

Is Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab free?
Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Critical free?
Critical is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab or Critical?
Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab is rated higher. Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab averages 4.5 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while Critical averages 4.4 from 125 ratings.
Do Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab or Critical have ads?
Both Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab and Critical show ads.
Which is updated more often, Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab or Critical?
Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab ships an update every 7 months, and Critical fortnightly. Most recently, Idle Alchemy Transmutation Lab was updated on October 14, 2026 and Critical on October 13, 2026.

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