# Merchant Heroes vs Guildmaster Idle

The clearest difference is update cadence: Guildmaster Idle at weekly against Merchant Heroes's every 5 months. Guildmaster Idle also leads on ratings volume (538 vs 98) and review sentiment (75% vs 67%). Merchant Heroes's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merchant Heroes sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Guildmaster Idle sells 9 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 — 4.6 for Merchant Heroes against 4.7 for Guildmaster Idle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guildmaster Idle has 538 ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Merchant Heroes's written reviews are positive against 75% of Guildmaster Idle's.

Merchant Heroes ships an update every 5 months, Guildmaster Idle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merchant Heroes | Guildmaster Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchant-heroes/id1488522512/reviews) | **[4.7 (538 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guildmaster-idle/id1588390905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 98 | **538** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **74.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 231 MB | 314 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Retora Game Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/484290233) | [Elvenry Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588390907) |

## What reviewers say

### Merchant Heroes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchant-heroes/id1488522512)

Embark on a classic RPG adventure with modern idle crafting. Explore procedurally generated maps, craft thousands of items, and build a strategic team of heroes to conquer challenging foes. Gather materials to upgrade your gear and level up your party.

**Highlights:** 3v3 Strategic Turn-Based Combat, Idle Questing Systems, Dynamic Crafting System, Procedurally Generated Maps, Hero Hiring and Upgrading, Item Crafting and Gear Improvement

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Champion's Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Silver Pouch | $1.99 | one-time |
| Adventurer's Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hero's Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Traveler's Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Silver Bucket | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hero's Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Silver Chest | $9.99 | one-time |
| Traveler's Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Champion's Pack | $9.99 | one-time |


### Guildmaster Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guildmaster-idle/id1588390905)

Manage and grow an interactive idle RPG guild. Engage in various minigames to gather resources, craft gear, and train adventurers for quests and dungeons. Attract new heroes and forge alliances to become a legendary guildmaster.

**Highlights:** Interactive idle gameplay, Professions minigames (mining, crafting, bartending, etc.), Questing and dungeon crawling, Guild and hero progression, Talent tree upgrades, Ad-free option

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000 Runes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Runes | $4.99 | one-time |
| Increase Max Offline Work | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Runes (Scrolls) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Rune Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| 7500 Runes | $9.99 | one-time |
| 15000 Runes | $19.99 | one-time |
| 50000 Runes | $49.99 | one-time |
| 100000 Runes | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Practical idle game mechanics
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive gameplay
- 💡 Interesting concept and depth
- 🔒 No forced ads or paywalls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Bugs with certain features
- 🔍 Lack of in-game information and guidance
- ⏱️ Overly long dungeon timers

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- Talent tree enhancements not working as expected
- Gear enhancements have no material requirements
- Unable to construct certain buildings

**Requested features**

- Add a wiki or knowledge base
- Improve UI and accessibility
- Reduce dungeon completion times
- Introduce character/guild customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merchant Heroes free?

Merchant Heroes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Guildmaster Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Merchant Heroes or Guildmaster Idle?

Guildmaster Idle is rated higher. Merchant Heroes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while Guildmaster Idle averages 4.7 from 538 ratings.

### Do Merchant Heroes or Guildmaster Idle have ads?

Both Merchant Heroes and Guildmaster Idle show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merchant Heroes or Guildmaster Idle?

Merchant Heroes ships an update every 5 months, and Guildmaster Idle weekly. Most recently, Merchant Heroes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Guildmaster Idle on October 25, 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.*