# Watermelon Merge Official vs Stained Echoes

The clearest difference is ads: Stained Echoes at none against Watermelon Merge Official's shown. Stained Echoes also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). Watermelon Merge Official's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Watermelon Merge Official sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Stained Echoes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Watermelon Merge Official ships an update monthly, Stained Echoes every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Watermelon Merge Official | Stained Echoes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watermelon-merge-official/id1552372003/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **207** | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 221 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brilliant Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477038433) | [Joshua Hoskins](https://appshunter.io/developer/327055205) |

## What reviewers say

### Watermelon Merge Official

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watermelon-merge-official/id1552372003)

Engage in a thrilling fruit merge puzzle where you control falling fruits to combine identical ones into larger fruits. Aim for a high score, compete globally, and avoid hitting the danger line. This game offers a strategic yet relaxing experience for hours of entertainment.

**Highlights:** Merge identical fruits, Control falling fruit direction, Global leaderboard competition, Strategy and fun gameplay, Relaxing decompression, Simple click controls

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| remove ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| removeadgiftbag | $3.99 | one-time |
| gadgetbag | $5.99 | one-time |
| vipgiftbag | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Entertaining time killer
- 💖 Fun and enjoyable
- 🎮 Easy to play
- ✨ Cute animation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Too many ads
- 🚫 Ads block gameplay
- 💸 Paid to remove ads, still get ads
- ⚠️ Inappropriate ads for children
- 😵 Ads interrupt gameplay

**Reported bugs**

- Ads block the playable screen
- Ads prevent exiting
- Game freezes on ad pages
- Paid ad removal not working
- Music resets after ads

**Requested features**

- Fix ads not closing
- Improve fruit merging logic
- Bring back previous game mechanics
- Add more new fruits


### Stained Echoes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stained-echoes/id6469013401)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Abstract Level Unlock | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Watermelon Merge Official free?

Watermelon Merge Official is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Stained Echoes free?

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

### Do Watermelon Merge Official or Stained Echoes have ads?

Watermelon Merge Official shows ads; Stained Echoes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Watermelon Merge Official or Stained Echoes?

Watermelon Merge Official ships an update monthly, and Stained Echoes every 4 days. Most recently, Watermelon Merge Official was updated on November 3, 2026 and Stained Echoes on November 3, 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.*