# Idle Prison Tycoon vs MathMerge

The clearest difference is update cadence: MathMerge at daily against Idle Prison Tycoon's monthly. Idle Prison Tycoon's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Prison Tycoon sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and MathMerge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Prison Tycoon ships an update monthly, MathMerge daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Prison Tycoon | MathMerge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (636 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-prison-tycoon/id1547370424/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **636** | — |
| Positive reviews | 34.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 189 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NADDIC GAMES Co Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/411719774) | [Derrick Goodfriend](https://appshunter.io/developer/313135856) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Prison Tycoon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-prison-tycoon/id1547370424)

Manage a prison and rehabilitate criminals through various facilities and educational programs. This idle tycoon game allows you to earn money even when offline, with strategic facility upgrades and guard hiring to maximize prisoner value and progress.

**Highlights:** Idle tycoon gameplay, Prison facility management, Criminal rehabilitation programs, Strategic guard hiring, Facility upgrades and expansion, Weekly seasonal events

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gem1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Gem2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Package1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Package2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Package4 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem4 | $18.99 | one-time |
| premium pass 2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| VIP1 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Fun tycoon concept
- 🎨 Enjoyable art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Excessive ads and monetization
- ⏱️ Slow progress and long wait times
- 🔧 Lack of updates and developer support

**Reported bugs**

- Invisible prisoners issue
- Unreliable reward system for ads and purchases
- Crashes when upgrading rooms or switching prisons

**Requested features**

- Skip tutorial option
- More frequent events and content updates
- Better balance between free-to-play and paid progression


### MathMerge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathmerge/id6479450547)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Prison Tycoon free?

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

### Is MathMerge free?

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

### Do Idle Prison Tycoon or MathMerge have ads?

Both Idle Prison Tycoon and MathMerge show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Prison Tycoon or MathMerge?

Idle Prison Tycoon ships an update monthly, and MathMerge daily. Most recently, Idle Prison Tycoon was updated on November 3, 2026 and MathMerge on November 8, 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.*