# Idle Superpowers vs Magic Research

The clearest difference is price: Idle Superpowers at Free against Magic Research's $3.99. Idle Superpowers also leads on ratings volume (830 vs 188). Magic Research's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Idle Superpowers is free to download; Magic Research costs $3.99 up front. Idle Superpowers sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Magic Research asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Idle Superpowers against 4.7 for Magic Research. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 830 and 188 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Idle Superpowers's written reviews are positive against 95% of Magic Research's.

Idle Superpowers ships an update every 2 months, Magic Research every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Superpowers | Magic Research |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (830 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-superpowers/id1542024472/reviews)** | [4.7 (188 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-research/id1671272877/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **830** | 188 |
| Positive reviews | 74.7% of reviews | **95.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#93** |
| Size | 168 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Lutz Schoenfelder](https://appshunter.io/developer/1504039346) | [Matias Ezequiel Colotto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1669682477) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Superpowers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-superpowers/id1542024472)

Embark on a roguelike idle RPG adventure as a superhero with a vast array of unlockable, combinable superpowers. Experience unique runs with procedurally generated items and enemies, and overcome challenges that demand diverse playstyles.

**Highlights:** Unlock 99+ superpowers, Combine superpowers for synergies, Random power generation, Procedural items and enemies, Unlockable upgrades, Challenging gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 500 Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $8.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Gems + 100 Free | $8.99 | one-time |
| 2000 Gems + 250 Free | $17.99 | one-time |
| Hero Pack | $35.99 | one-time |
| Superhero Pack | $44.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Gems + 1500 Free | $44.99 | one-time |
| 10K Gems + 5K Free! | $89.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Pretty good
- 👍 LOVE THIS!
- 👍 Never thought I'd be this invested
- 👍 Best Idle Game to Date
- 👍 my favorite mobile game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unskippable overlong ads
- 🐛 Weirdly fun, but very limited
- 🐛 Ads?
- 🐛 Used to be fun
- 🐛 Inventory management is bad

**Reported bugs**

- Fix new bug please
- Money UI getting pixelated
- Latest update (notifications) is causing crashes
- Ok, so idk what I did but my game now crashes after about a minute of me being the game
- Pretty fun, but extreme flickering bar on bottom of 12 pro max prevents playing for extended amounts of time

**Requested features**

- Beta
- Give it a real chance
- Needs an update
- Updates
- An amazing game with no random adds. Literally No random Adds!


### Magic Research

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-research/id1671272877)

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)

Lead a new magic institution to discover the secrets of magic and achieve fame. Research spells, build your campus, manage staff, and uncover hidden storylines to win the Tournament of Magic. Enjoy a complete game experience with no ads.

**Highlights:** Cast over 100 spells, Research magic in various schools, Build and manage campus, Manage researchers and apprentices, Discover hidden features and storylines, Retirement bonuses for faster progress

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great idle/incremental game
- 💡 Deep and complex systems
- 🚀 Well-paced progression
- 💰 Worth the price
- ✨ No ads or microtransactions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 UI layout issues
- 🐌 Can be grindy
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Text running off page/scrolling issues
- 🐛 Wood resource bug

**Reported bugs**

- On new iPhones, switching away and back causes UI unresponsiveness
- Text running off the page, preventing interaction with buttons
- Wood resource counting backwards
- Becoming stunned for a full minute, unable to act
- Bosses running away from fights

**Requested features**

- Add background music
- Add Chinese language support
- Make monsters pixelated
- Adjustable times for apprentice auto-casting
- Display monstium collection counter during exploration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Superpowers free?

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

### Is Magic Research free?

Magic Research costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Idle Superpowers or Magic Research?

Idle Superpowers is rated higher. Idle Superpowers averages 4.8 out of 5 from 830 ratings, while Magic Research averages 4.7 from 188 ratings.

### Do Idle Superpowers or Magic Research have ads?

Idle Superpowers shows ads; Magic Research does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Superpowers or Magic Research?

Idle Superpowers ships an update every 2 months, and Magic Research every 4 days. Most recently, Idle Superpowers was updated on September 24, 2026 and Magic Research on September 22, 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.*