Comparison

Cartographers vs Clank!

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

Head to head
About

Cartographers

Become a royal cartographer tasked with mapping newly reclaimed lands for the Kingdom of Nalos. Fulfill royal edicts, strategically draw your territory, and outmaneuver rival outposts to gain the most reputation. Experience this tactical flip & write game digitally with multiple modes and global leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Map reclaimed northern lands
  • Fulfill royal edicts
  • Outmaneuver rival outposts
  • Tactical flip & write gameplay
  • Multiple game modes
  • Global weekly highscorelists
  • Collect achievements
Features
Read full description

The official Flip & Write companion to the board game hit! Step into the shoes of a royal cartographer and surveyor commissioned by Queen Gimnax. Your mission: explore, stake out, and immortalize the wild northern lands on parchment. In this strategic card game, you decide how to shape your territory—but beware: you are not alone in the wilderness! An Epic Adventure in the Roll Player Universe Cartographers brings the fascinating mechanics of the modern board game directly to your smartphone. Experience the tactical Flip & Write principle that has thrilled critics and fans worldwide and was nominated for the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres (Connoisseur Game of the Year) in 2020. Strategy Through Ever-Changing Decrees At the heart of this board game are four royal decrees. These are recombined in every match, making each game a unique puzzle. You must constantly adapt your strategy to squeeze the maximum score out of your lands: Diverse Scoring: Earn fame through the Gloomy Wood by skillfully enclosing forest patches, or use the Golden Granary to place farm fields on valuable ruins. Tactical Placement: In the Magician's Valley, score points by placing water and farmland near mighty mountains. Every hamlet and settlement must be cleverly planned to meet the Queen’s shifting demands. Seasonal Cycle: Priorities change through Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Only those who plan ahead will be named Master Cartographer at the end of the year. The Gameplay is Simple Flip: Each round, a new card is revealed, showing you landscapes and shapes. Write: Skillfully place these areas on your map. Use the space optimally to fulfill the conditions of the decrees. Score: Collect valuable reputation points, but watch out for monster ambushes! Monsters in the Borderlands A cartographer must be brave! The monsters never sleep. At regular intervals, you will encounter ambushes that thwart your plans. Monster fields will be discovered on your map—surround them quickly to minimize the damage to your reputation. Why You’ll Love "Cartographers": Official Adaptation: The faithful digital version of the popular board game by Thunderworks Games. Weekly Challenges: Compete with players from all over the world in global highscore lists. A new scenario awaits you every week! Three Game Modes: Choose between different difficulty levels and randomness factors—from relaxed puzzling to hardcore strategy. Achievements & Ranks: Collect achievements and rise from apprentice to legendary Royal Cartographer. Solo Fun & Competition: Perfect for a quick round in between or a deep strategic experience. Awards for the Original: 2020 – Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominee 2019 – Golden Geek Best Solo Board Game Nominee 2019 – Golden Geek Best Family Board Game Nominee 2019 – Cardboard Republic Socializer Laurel Nominee Are you ready to expand the borders of the realm? Grab your quill, draw your cards, and master the ultimate Flip & Write adventure. Whether you're a fan of board games, logic puzzles, or fantasy strategy, Cartographers offers tactical depth right in your pocket. Download the official app now and begin your journey through the northern lands!

About

Clank!

Embark on a thrilling deck-building adventure where you sneak into a dragon's lair to steal artifacts. Be quick and quiet to escape with your loot before the dragon awakens. Acquire new items and abilities to outwit your opponents and survive the dungeon.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Dungeon exploration
  • Steal artifacts from dragon's lair
  • Competitive multiplayer
  • Cross-platform play
  • Tutorial and challenges
Features
Read full description

Burgle your way to adventure in the award-winning board game! A New Adventure Begins! Clank!, the iconic deck-building board game adventure, challenges daring thieves to sneak into a dragon’s lair, steal one of her precious artifacts, and escape – before you’re roasted to a crisp! Winning fans and awards around the world, Clank! is one of the most-beloved modern board games, with a wide range of expansions and adaptations for players to enjoy. How Deep will you Delve? The deeper you go, the more valuable treasures you’ll find…but the harder it will be to escape! So be quick and be quiet: One false step and – CLANK! Each careless sound risks drawing the dragon’s attention. You’re competing against your fellow thieves to claim the most valuable prize…but you can only enjoy your loot if you make it out of the depths alive! Choose Your Path You’ll need a good pair of boots, a sharp sword, and all your roguish skills to survive in the dungeon. Along the way, you’ll acquire new items, abilities, and allies that will help you achieve victory! Blending deck-building and exploration, Clank! offers a unique dungeon-delving adventure each time you play." Many Ways to Play Learn the ropes in a guided Tutorial, then hone your abilities by collecting Achievements and completing Challenges. Play cross-platform against friends, or compete in exciting new Heists that put you up against players from around the world! However you choose to enter the dungeon: Good luck!...you’re going to need it!

Screenshots

Cartographers4 screens
Clank!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Clank! at 4.8 against Cartographers's 3.4. Clank! also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 36%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Cartographers's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $10.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Cartographers costs $3.99 and Clank! $10.99 up front. Cartographers sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Clank! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Clank! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clank! has 1.5K ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Cartographers's written reviews are positive against 71% of Clank!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cartographers ships an update every 3 months, Clank! every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Cartographers versus Clank!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCartographersClank!
Price$3.99 — better$10.99
Rating3.4 (120 ratings)4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews70.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1201.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#109#28 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB477 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperBrettspielWeltDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Cartographers

All ratings113 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral15.9%
Negative31.9%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral19.6%
Negative44.2%

Clank!

All ratings1,394 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative16.5%

User reviews

Cartographers

From 120 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
  • 🚀 Great solo experience
  • 💡 Helpful visual cues for gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable app
  • 🔒 Login and account issues
  • 🔋 Performance and battery drain problems
  • 👎 Lacking key features like multiplayer

Clank!

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun deckbuilder
  • 👍 Great adaptation of board game
  • 🚀 Intuitive to use
  • 👍 Excellent port of base game
  • 👍 Well-designed app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy multiplayer
  • 🔧 Lack of controller support
  • 👎 Text too small on iPhone
  • 🐢 Slow on mobile
  • 👎 Cramped UI

Bugs and requests

Cartographers

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Incorrect tile placement and scoring
  • Inconsistent save/resume functionality
  • Registration and login problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add online/local multiplayer modes
  • Implement undo/rollback functionality
  • Improve tutorial and in-game help
  • Add support for expansions and new maps

Clank!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Multiplayer issues
  • Async multiplayer results not visible
  • Tutorial blocks instructions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add expansions from board game
  • Accessibility options to increase font size
  • Option to skip/speed up animations
  • Easier invitations for private games
  • Improved AI opponents

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cartographers

One-time1
  • Cartographers Heroes$1.99
2 purchases

Clank!

One-time2
  • Sunken Treasures$8.99
  • Mummy's Curse$8.99

Questions

Is Cartographers free?
Cartographers costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Clank! free?
Clank! costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cartographers or Clank!?
Clank! is rated higher. Cartographers averages 3.4 out of 5 from 120 ratings, while Clank! averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Cartographers or Clank! have ads?
Neither Cartographers nor Clank! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cartographers or Clank!?
Cartographers ships an update every 3 months, and Clank! every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cartographers was updated on October 29, 2026 and Clank! on October 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cartographers or Clank!?
Cartographers currently peaks at #109 in the App Store charts, and Clank! at #28. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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