# Hobo vs Deckbuilder

The clearest difference is ads: Hobo at none against Deckbuilder's shown. Deckbuilder's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hobo sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Deckbuilder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hobo ships an update every 5 weeks, Deckbuilder every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hobo | Deckbuilder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (41K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hobo-real-life-simulator/id1500166575/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **41K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +12 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chimpanzee, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1494416672) | [hourafter](https://appshunter.io/developer/1792872292) |

## What reviewers say

### Hobo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hobo-real-life-simulator/id1500166575)

Experience a challenging and realistic life simulation where you start as a homeless individual. Navigate the streets, pursue education, invest in the market, and build a business empire to escape poverty and achieve wealth.

**Highlights:** Beg on streets or get hired for graffiti, Invest in the market and real estate, Buy businesses and build an empire, Attend university and take out student loans, Apply for jobs and build credit, Experience 75+ random events

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CASH PACK 10K | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zero Out Daily Expenses | $2.99 | one-time |
| CASH PACK 25K | $2.99 | one-time |
| Cash Pack 100K | $4.99 | one-time |
| Recovery Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Investor Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Chase Your Dreams Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Cash Pack 250K | $9.99 | one-time |
| Be Successful Pack | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Good concept
- 👍 No ads
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Realistic simulation
- 🚀 Challenging progression

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Lack of instructions
- 🔍 Unclear mechanics
- 🔍 Unforgiving early game
- 🔍 Repetitive after a while

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent promotion/raise system
- Issues with real estate transactions
- Disappearing money and progress
- Random deaths without explanation

**Requested features**

- More job/career options
- Ability to undo actions
- Retirement/endgame content
- Character customization
- Improved UI and navigation


### Deckbuilder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deckbuilder-startup-roguelike/id6805867782)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hobo free?

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

### Is Deckbuilder free?

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

### Do Hobo or Deckbuilder have ads?

Deckbuilder shows ads; Hobo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hobo or Deckbuilder?

Hobo ships an update every 5 weeks, and Deckbuilder every 10 days. Most recently, Hobo was updated on November 8, 2026 and Deckbuilder on October 31, 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.*