Upstream Struggle vs Arcade Hole
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Upstream Struggle
Embark on an endless salmon run, swimming upstream to reach home. Dodge a variety of enemies for as long as possible to unlock new fish species and improve your score.
- Endless salmon run gameplay
- Dodge enemies
- Unlock new fish
- High score challenges
Read full descriptionHide full description
In Upstream Struggle, you play as a salmon swimming upstream to return home (except right now it's just endless, oops). Dodge enemies for as long as you can to unlock new fish.
Arcade Hole
Control a black hole that consumes everything in sight, turning it into money. Upgrade your hole to grow larger and faster, clearing entire cities. This satisfying idle game offers fun mechanics for all ages.
- Consume everything in sight
- Turn consumed items into money
- Upgrade hole size and speed
- Satisfying idle mechanics
- Clear entire cities
Read full descriptionHide full description
Everything is edible and nobody can stop you! If you are looking for fun io games then look no further, because Hoard Master is a game that will change your hole life! In this game, you are a black hole with no limits! Swallow different items from tiny to massive and push them out to turn them into money. Make money to use it to upgrade your hole, get bigger, and shred what you ate! Consume everything in the city because you can! Hoard Master is one of the most fun top free games for free and it features satisfying graphics with great idle mechanics for both kids and adults. Make sure to do the right upgrades to increase your size, moving speed, and eating capacity, and you’ll be good to go! Hoard Master is one of the most popular games and we hope you will enjoy playing it!
Screenshots
Verdict
Upstream Struggle and Arcade Hole both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Upstream Struggle's written reviews are positive against 33% of Arcade Hole's. Upstream Struggle also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Arcade Hole sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Upstream Struggle asks for nothing beyond the download.
Upstream Struggle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.7K and 20K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Upstream Struggle's written reviews are positive against 33% of Arcade Hole's.
Upstream Struggle ships an update every 4 days, Arcade Hole weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Upstream Struggle | Arcade Hole |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (9.7K ratings) — better | 4.7 (20K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.9% of reviews — better | 32.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9.7K | 20K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 230 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Jack LaLonde | Rollic Games |
Customer experience
Upstream Struggle
Arcade Hole
User reviews
Upstream Struggle
From 9.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and fun concept
- 🚀 No forced ads
- 💡 Potential for improvements
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
- 🎨 Basic graphics and animations
Arcade Hole
From 20K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Satisfying gameplay
- 👍 Fun and addictive
- 💎 Good time killer
- 🎨 Cool skins
Room to improve
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 🔍 Lack of new content
- 💸 Excessive ads
- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
- 🔁 Progress resets on app close
Bugs and requests
Upstream Struggle
Reported bugs
3 issues- Getting stuck in the waterfall at the start
- Crashes and freezes, especially at higher levels
- Issues with the bird/flying obstacle
Requested features
4 requests- Add more variety to levels and obstacles
- Improve controls and jumping mechanics
- Implement a leaderboard or competitive mode
- Introduce new fish skins and customization options
Arcade Hole
Reported bugs
4 issues- Upgrades not working as intended
- Items falling out of reach
- Game freezing and crashing
- Ads causing issues with gameplay
Requested features
5 requests- More levels and map variations
- Ability to save progress across devices
- Option to use gems/cash for upgrades instead of ads
- Customizable skins and abilities
- Endless/bonus levels
In-app purchases
Upstream Struggle
No in-app purchases
Arcade Hole
- Small Pack - Offer 1$0.99
- Medium Pack - Offer 2$1.99
- Small Pack - Offer 2$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- No Ads$2.99
- Medium Pack - Offer 2$2.99
- Large Pack - Offer 1$3.99
- Small Pack - Offer 3$3.99
- Medium Pack - Offer 3$5.99
- Large Pack - Offer 2$6.99
- Large Pack - Offer 2$9.99
Questions
Is Upstream Struggle free?
Is Arcade Hole free?
Which has better reviews, Upstream Struggle or Arcade Hole?
Do Upstream Struggle or Arcade Hole have ads?
Which is updated more often, Upstream Struggle or Arcade Hole?
Other comparisons
