# A4 vs Forge Defence

A4 and Forge Defence both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Forge Defence's written reviews are positive against 29% of A4's. A4's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (742 vs 147). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. A4 sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Forge Defence sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Forge Defence holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A4 has 742 ratings behind it against 147, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of A4's written reviews are positive against 86% of Forge Defence's.

A4 ships an update weekly, Forge Defence monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A4 | Forge Defence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (742 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a4-run-away-challenge/id1522699276/reviews) | **[4.8 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forge-defence/id1578074767/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **742** | 147 |
| Positive reviews | 29.5% of reviews | **86.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 324 MB | 396 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Ip investment](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689946227) | [Challenges INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1222001904) |

## What reviewers say

### A4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a4-run-away-challenge/id1522699276)

Guide A4 and friends to escape relentless haters in a fast-paced running game. Collect likes and views to increase popularity, unlock new heroes and zones, and upgrade characters. Utilize powerful boosters to set new records and challenge friends.

**Highlights:** Escape from haters, Collect likes and views, Unlock new heroes and zones, Upgrade characters, Challenge friends, Use powerful busters

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Кобяков | $0.99 | one-time |
| Спецназовец | $0.99 | one-time |
| Зеленка | $0.99 | one-time |
| Киндер | $0.99 | one-time |
| Пустыня | $0.99 | one-time |
| Котлетка | $0.99 | one-time |
| Герой - Король Рок'н'Ролла | $0.99 | one-time |
| Отключить рекламу | $1.99 | one-time |
| Купить 500 лайков | $1.99 | one-time |
| Влад | $3.99 | one-time |
| Купить 1500 лайков | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Engaging and fun gameplay
- 🎮 Entertaining for casual players
- ⭐ Well-received by content creator fans
- 😄 Enjoyable once you get used to mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📱 Performance issues on older/weaker devices
- 🐛 Game crashes or won't launch
- 📺 Excessive advertisements
- 🌐 Language barrier - limited Russian content

**Reported bugs**

- Game won't launch on certain devices (iPhone)
- Compatibility issues with older phones
- Login/access problems for some users

**Requested features**

- Russian-language videos and content
- Better optimization for low-end devices
- Reduced ad frequency


### Forge Defence

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forge-defence/id1578074767)

Construct a powerful tower forge to defend against waves of zombies and monsters. Develop a superior defense strategy to protect your forge and survive the onslaught. Good luck with your strategic tower defense!

**Highlights:** Build tower forge defense, Super defense strategy, Defend against zombies, Defend against monsters, Forge tower defense

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diamond chest | $0.99 | one-time |
| Emerald Chest | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big chest | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rare Chest | $7.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Epic Chest | $11.99 | one-time |
| Mega chest | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A4 free?

A4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Forge Defence free?

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

### Which has better reviews, A4 or Forge Defence?

Forge Defence is rated higher. A4 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 742 ratings, while Forge Defence averages 4.8 from 147 ratings.

### Do A4 or Forge Defence have ads?

Both A4 and Forge Defence show ads.

### Which is updated more often, A4 or Forge Defence?

A4 ships an update weekly, and Forge Defence monthly. Most recently, A4 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Forge Defence 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.*