# Pixel Shrine JINJA vs Vactics

The clearest difference is rating: Pixel Shrine JINJA at 4.7 against Vactics's 4.0. Pixel Shrine JINJA also leads on ratings volume (208 vs 56). Vactics's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (71% vs 59%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Shrine JINJA sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Vactics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pixel Shrine JINJA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 208 and 56 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of Pixel Shrine JINJA's written reviews are positive against 71% of Vactics's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Shrine JINJA | Vactics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-shrine-jinja/id1498382981/reviews)** | [4.0 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **208** | 56 |
| Positive reviews | 59.3% of reviews | **70.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 149 MB | 309 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [kazuyuki yamada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498382980) | [Gerard Delaney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476170004) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Shrine JINJA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-shrine-jinja/id1498382981)

Build and defend a beautiful pixel art shrine inspired by ancient Japanese traditions. Attract worshippers to gather resources, reinforce your defenses, and expand your shrine. Engage in automatic combat and enjoy a deep gameplay experience with various buildings and strategic elements.

**Highlights:** Shrine building and customization, Resource management from worshippers, Automatic combat and defense, Pixel art graphics, Expandable shrine with new buildings, Online shrine visits and interaction

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| diamond 12 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Event ticket 6 | $0.99 | one-time |
| sakura-shinboku | $1.99 | one-time |
| Inishie-no-torii | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3-pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| 3-pack-2nd | $2.99 | one-time |
| Event ticket 25 | $2.99 | one-time |
| diamond 60 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Building pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| diamond 145 | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⛩️ Beautiful Japanese shrine aesthetic
- 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing and peaceful gameplay
- 🎨 Creative shrine customization
- ✨ Deep and engaging mechanics
- 👍 Optional ads, truly F2P

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Painfully slow progression
- ⏳ Long upgrade times
- ❓ Confusing mechanics/tutorials
- 💸 Purchases required for meaningful progress
- 📉 Video ad quality issues

**Reported bugs**

- Account banned without reason
- Game crashes on startup
- Building data sometimes resets
- Network instability/clock shift errors prevent play
- Cannot watch ads after updates

**Requested features**

- Increase daily upgrade limit
- Add a community forum/bulletin board
- Implement an undo button for map editing
- Allow camera rotation during building
- Add a paint brush tool for map design


### Vactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778)

Engage in tactical, chess-like combat by building powerful mechs to battle robotic enemies. Face randomly generated challenges and fight for a better future in this strategic warfare game.

**Highlights:** Mech building, Tactical chess-like combat, Randomly generated challenges, Mech and tech upgrades, Extended campaign, Leaderboard competition

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe to Vactics Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Vactics Pro | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative gameplay mechanics
- 👍 Deep tactical gameplay
- 🎨 Gorgeous art style
- 🎶 Excellent synthwave score
- ✨ Well-balanced gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High price for pro version
- 💸 Expensive subscription options
- 😩 Frustrating paywall
- ❓ Lacking tutorial explanations
- 🐌 Slow restart function

**Reported bugs**

- Combo attack bonus cancelled by heavy landing
- "Restore purchases" not working after update
- Cannot equip more than one ability
- Inconsistent combat: adjacent Vactic not hitting
- Cannot mount one tech in Chassis and one in Engine

**Requested features**

- Add more upgrades
- Add more game modes
- Add online co-op
- Add infinite wave competition
- Add diverging paths on map like FTL


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Shrine JINJA free?

Pixel Shrine JINJA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Vactics free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pixel Shrine JINJA or Vactics?

Pixel Shrine JINJA is rated higher. Pixel Shrine JINJA averages 4.7 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while Vactics averages 4.0 from 56 ratings.

### Do Pixel Shrine JINJA or Vactics have ads?

Pixel Shrine JINJA shows ads; Vactics does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Shrine JINJA or Vactics?

Pixel Shrine JINJA ships an update every 3 weeks, and Vactics every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pixel Shrine JINJA was updated on November 3, 2026 and Vactics on November 3, 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.*