# Sword Master Story vs Aether Gazer

The clearest difference is rating: Sword Master Story at 4.7 against Aether Gazer's 4.3. Sword Master Story also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (85% vs 57%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sword Master Story sells 45 one-off in-app purchases and Aether Gazer sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sword Master Story holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sword Master Story has 19K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Sword Master Story's written reviews are positive against 57% of Aether Gazer's.

Sword Master Story ships an update fortnightly, Aether Gazer every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sword Master Story | Aether Gazer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sword-master-story/id1521447065/reviews)** | [4.3 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aether-gazer/id6445892204/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | **84.7% of reviews** | 56.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 685 MB | 3.9 GB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [SuperPlanet](https://appshunter.io/developer/1068119037) | [HONG KONG YONGSHI NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1798143269) |

## What reviewers say

### Sword Master Story

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sword-master-story/id1521447065)

Embark on an epic hack-and-slash adventure as a Sword Master betrayed by the empire. Gather allies, unleash brilliant skills, and collect unique heroes from mythology. Explore dungeons, battle bosses, and compete in PVP to become the ultimate warrior.

**Highlights:** Hack & Slash combat with brilliant skill animations, Idle mode gameplay, Gather goddesses and unique heroes, Character collection and strategic deployment, Character growth through Level Up, Rebirth, Transcendence, Guild system for territory defense and dungeons, Various content: Endless Dungeons, Boss Raid, Global PVP

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (45)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Airi's Heartbeat Pack | $1.49 | one-time |
| Loud Sweep Pack | $1.49 | one-time |
| Welcome Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Ruby 270 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100 Platinum Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Black Friday  Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rookie Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cain's Year-End Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Petal's Promise Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Blooming Dreams Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Sweet Temptation Pack 1 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Haru's Meow Key Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Light and Darkness Blessing I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Santa's Gift Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Daily Growth Support Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Festival of the Dead Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Blue Beach Pack I | $3.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Welcome I | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ruby 460 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 170 Platinum Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Black Friday  Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Spring Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Pink Chocolate Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Mia’s Sobbing Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Light and Darkness Blessing II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Santa's Gift Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Blue Beach Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Festival of the Dead Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Welcome II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Daily Growth Support Pack II | $7.99 | one-time |
| Ruby 950 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| 350 Platinum Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| Happy Summer Pack I | $16.99 | one-time |
| Abundance & Earth Pack | $16.99 | one-time |
| Auspicious Flame Pack I | $16.99 | one-time |
| Goddess of Fate Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| Alice Pack I | $24.99 | one-time |
| Summon Pack 1 | $26.99 | one-time |
| Growth Pack | $26.99 | one-time |
| Beach Queen Miyu Pass | $26.99 | one-time |
| Bunny Girl Cain Pass | $26.99 | one-time |
| 1100 Platinum Coins | $29.99 | one-time |
| Summon pack 2 | $94.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Generous rewards
- 🎨 Appealing pixel art
- 🕹️ Satisfying combat
- 💰 F2P friendly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🌐 Connection issues
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 📜 Poor English translations
- 🌟 Lack of character diversity

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues on certain devices
- Summon rewards not registering properly
- Demon Tower equipment issues

**Requested features**

- More game modes and events
- Improved equipment enhancement system
- Faster way to level up characters
- Option to reset/revert characters
- Add a friend list and chat feature


### Aether Gazer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aether-gazer/id6445892204)

Engage in fast-paced combat within a sci-fi anime world where humanity's consciousness resides in an AI orbiting Earth. Battle viruses threatening this digital paradise by customizing characters, building combos, and strategically forming squads to save humanity's future.

**Highlights:** Fast-paced action combat, Character skill customization, Squad building and combos, Explore a dystopian world, Premium character design, Immersive soundtrack

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 60 Shifting Flowers | $0.99 | one-time |
| C-Obs | $4.99 | one-time |
| 490 Shifting Flowers | $7.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Contract | $9.99 | one-time |
| $14.99 Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| 990 Shifting Flowers | $14.99 | one-time |
| Outfit Voucher2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Acumen Contract | $18.99 | one-time |
| 1990 Shifting Flowers | $29.99 | one-time |
| 2990 Shifting Flowers | $44.99 | one-time |
| 6000 Shifting Flowers | $89.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Generous free-to-play model
- 🎨 Beautiful character designs
- 🎮 Engaging combat mechanics
- 💎 Rewarding gacha system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔌 Performance issues on some devices
- 🕹️ Lack of controller support
- 📚 Confusing tutorial and UI
- 🌐 Lack of Chinese language support

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes during boss fights
- Inability to progress past certain story missions
- Graphical glitches and visual bugs
- Login and connection issues
- Gacha and purchase-related bugs

**Requested features**

- Add Chinese language support
- Improve controller compatibility
- Enhance tutorial and onboarding
- Optimize performance for older devices
- Introduce more endgame content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sword Master Story free?

Sword Master Story is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Aether Gazer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sword Master Story or Aether Gazer?

Sword Master Story is rated higher. Sword Master Story averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Aether Gazer averages 4.3 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Sword Master Story or Aether Gazer have ads?

Both Sword Master Story and Aether Gazer show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sword Master Story or Aether Gazer?

Sword Master Story ships an update fortnightly, and Aether Gazer every 4 months. Most recently, Sword Master Story was updated on October 30, 2026 and Aether Gazer on October 27, 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.*