Forge Ahead vs Sword Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Forge Ahead
Mine exotic metals and precious gems, then hammer them into beautifully crafted swords. Run your own armory to display your creations and earn money to unlock even better materials and designs. Enjoy addictive gameplay that lets you earn even when offline.
- Mine exotic metals and gems
- Hammer molten metal into swords
- Run your own armory
- Unlock new materials and designs
- Earn money offline
- Addictive tap-based mechanics
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Strap on your boots and forge ahead! Mine metals, hammer them into shape, and forge the best swords you can! This is not your normal simulation game. Break rocks to discover exotic gems. Forge them into beautiful swords and show them off in your armory. The better the materials you find, the more money you make! The more money you make, the better the swords you can unlock. You will be the envy of every blacksmith in the kingdom. Stop what you are doing now, it’s hammer time! Game Features: 1. Simple but addicting mechanics Tap away at the rocks. Discover precious metals. Hammer the molten metal into sharp shiny swords. 2. Run your own Armory Show off the swords you craft on the weapons rack. Can you make the best? 3. Keep them coming! Keep finding new gems to make better swords. The better the sword the more you make! 4. Earn offline No need to always be on. You still earn money as you are signed off. Discover your inner blacksmith and forge the best swords. Watch the molten metal cool off into your beautiful creations. Good luck putting down Forge Ahead! Visit https://lionstudios.cc/contact-us/ if have any feedback, need help on beating a level or have any awesome ideas you would like to see in the game! From the Studio that brought you Happy Glass, Flip Trickster and Love Balls! Follow us to get news and updates on our other Award Winning titles; https://lionstudios.cc/ Facebook.com/LionStudios.cc Instagram.com/LionStudioscc Twitter.com/LionStudiosCC Youtube.com/c/LionStudiosCC
Sword Maker
Design and craft unique swords of various shapes and sizes. Experience realistic grinding mechanics on your mobile device. Unlock new possibilities and enhance your creations.
- Craft swords of all shapes and sizes
- Realistic grinding experience
- Doubles cash reward (premium)
- Removes all ads (premium)
- Provides 1 free daily chest (premium)
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Are you ready to sharpen your blade? Craft your legendary sword right now! Make as many swords as you can, of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy the real grinding experience on the screen of your phone. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS Subscription options Weekly Premium offers a weekly subscription for $7.99 after a 3-day free trial. It doubles your cash reward, removes all ads and provides 1 free daily chest. End of trial period and subscription renewal This price is established for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Canceling trial period or subscription You can turn off the auto-renew for the subscription whenever you want in the settings if your iTunes account. Check https://support.apple.com/HT202039. When your current trial/subscription period expires, you will be unsubscribed. The current active subscription period cannot be canceled. After your subscription expires, you will no longer be able to use elements offered in your chosen Subscription Option. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us at support@playgendary.com Privacy Policy: http://www.playgendary.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: http://www.playgendary.com/terms-of-use/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Sword Maker at none against Forge Ahead's shown. Sword Maker also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Forge Ahead's advantage is review sentiment (41% vs 13%) and ratings volume (85K vs 17K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Forge Ahead sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Sword Maker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Forge Ahead holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forge Ahead has 85K ratings behind it against 17K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Forge Ahead's written reviews are positive against 13% of Sword Maker's.
Forge Ahead ships an update monthly, Sword Maker every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Forge Ahead | Sword Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (85K ratings) — better | 4.4 (17K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 41.1% of reviews — better | 13.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 85K — better | 17K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 254 MB | 219 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lion Studios | Playgendary Limited |
Customer experience
Forge Ahead
Sword Maker
User reviews
Forge Ahead
From 85K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Satisfying forging process
- 🚀 Casual time-killer
Room to improve
- 🔍 Lack of clarity on ore values
- 🔍 Repetitive and limited gameplay
- 💸 Excessive ads and monetization
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
Sword Maker
From 17K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🙂 Fun game concept
- 👍 Decent gameplay
- 💡 Customization options
Room to improve
- 🤬 Excessive ads
- 🐛 Choppy controls
- 🤔 Lack of challenge
Bugs and requests
Forge Ahead
Reported bugs
2 issues- Inability to store/save forged swords
- Customers not appearing consistently
Requested features
5 requests- More ore/material variety and selection
- Additional weapon types beyond swords
- Ability to discard unwanted ores
- More detailed progression and upgrades
- Improved customer/quest system
Sword Maker
Reported bugs
2 issues- Game crashes frequently
- Deleted player progress
Requested features
3 requests- More sword designs
- Ability to make mistakes
- Reduce ads or add paid option
In-app purchases
Forge Ahead
- Tier 1 Coins$4.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
- Remove Upgrade Ads$4.99
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- Tier 2 Coins$6.99
- Starter Pack$8.99
- Tier 3 Coins$9.99
Sword Maker
- Weekly Premium3 Days trial$7.997 Days
Questions
Is Forge Ahead free?
Is Sword Maker free?
Which has better reviews, Forge Ahead or Sword Maker?
Do Forge Ahead or Sword Maker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Forge Ahead or Sword Maker?
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