Comparison

Idle Acorns vs IdleSpiral

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Idle Acorns

A classic idle clicker game with a charming narrative. Explore diverse environments, gather resources, craft items, and play mini-games. Enjoy a pure, ad-free experience with no in-app purchases or data mining.

Highlights
  • Resource gathering and upgrades
  • Crafting over 24 items
  • Fishing and cooking mini-game
  • Gardening and tree growing
  • Campfire for inviting characters
  • iCloud backup support
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

Inspired by the classics, Idle Acorns is a fun mobile clicker game that features no advertisements, no in-app purchases, and no data-mining. Inspired by the clicker games of the old internet, Idle Acorns brings a fun narrative to the mobile clicker arena but without getting weighed down by advertisements, in-app purchases or data mining. Explore the forest and ocean with Benny the squirrel and enjoy everything from fishing, to gardening. Unlock the campfire to invite new characters, collect resources, and craft items. Featuring 4 mini-games, iCloud backup support, Game Center support, iMessage sticker pack, and more! Like classic Idle games, Idle Acorns respects time travel. Please note that time travel will disable Game Center features. Shake the tree to gather acorns. Purchase upgrades and enlist scavengers to collect acorns while you are away! Sell your acorns, and unlock new areas in the shop. Speak with Benny the squirrel to navigate your adventure. Cast your line, and catch fish in the ocean. Open the map to visit your acres of land, or upgrade your offline collection. Unlock the campfire and invite all new characters. Trade resources and buy recipes to craft over 24 new items. - Forge diamonds and buy upgrades - Go fishing and cook fish - Buy land and grow trees - Unlock the campfire and trade resources - Buy recipes and craft items - 4 Mini-Games - Share resources with friends - Lots of character dialogue - Seasonal events - iCloud backup support - Game Center leaderboards and achievements - iMessage sticker pack IMPORTANT: iPhone SE (2016 First Generation) and iPod touch are not supported.

About

IdleSpiral

An idle, incremental game where players aim to grow a spiral. It combines simple gameplay with mathematical beauty for long-term engagement.

Highlights
  • Idle gameplay
  • Incremental progression
  • Spiral mathematics
  • Long-term engagement
  • Simple mechanics
Features
Read full description

Idle Spiral is a beautiful idle and incremental game inspired by spirals and mathematics. Grow your spiral farther and farther from the origin. Improve its parameters, discover formulas, challenge enemies, collect rewards, and watch simple mathematical rules create increasingly complex patterns. The controls are simple, but the progression is deep and designed to be enjoyed over a long time. Play actively when you want to optimize your build, or return later and continue from your offline progress. Features: • Deep idle and incremental progression • Spiral growth based on mathematical formulas • Upgrades, battles, challenges, achievements, and daily rewards • Optional ads and in-app purchases • Account, shared Mileage, and cross-platform save foundations • Performance and battery-use options for mobile devices How far can you grow your spiral?

Screenshots

Idle Acorns4 screens
IdleSpiral4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: IdleSpiral at Free against Idle Acorns's $1.99. IdleSpiral also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). Idle Acorns's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

IdleSpiral is free to download; Idle Acorns costs $1.99 up front. IdleSpiral sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Acorns asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Idle Acorns holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Acorns has 1.2K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Idle Acorns's written reviews are positive against 57% of IdleSpiral's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idle Acorns ships an update every 6 weeks, IdleSpiral every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Idle Acorns versus IdleSpiral: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle AcornsIdleSpiral
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better4.3 (77 ratings)
Positive reviews60.2% of reviews — better56.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K — better77
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#107 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB230 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeraleros.io LLCIdle System, Inc.

Customer experience

Idle Acorns

All ratings1,216 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive60.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative29.6%

IdleSpiral

All ratings77 ratings
Positive80.5%
Neutral6.5%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive56.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative34.1%

User reviews

Idle Acorns

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Charming and relaxing
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🎨 Pleasant aesthetics
  • 🕹️ Satisfying gameplay loop
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow progression and pacing
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics and lack of explanation
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔌 Limited offline progress
  • 🔢 Inconsistent upgrade costs

IdleSpiral

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game overall
  • 💡 Interesting idle/incremental mechanics
  • 🔢 Generates big numbers
  • ✨ Satisfying progression
  • 🎨 Can make cool patterns

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game glitches and bugs
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 📱 Phone gets very hot
  • 📉 Progress halts without active play
  • 💸 Premium currency hard to accumulate

Bugs and requests

Idle Acorns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tree disappearing issue
  • Bat not recognizing feather purchases
  • Zoom and UI issues on certain devices
  • Negative acorn balance after time manipulation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More late-game content
  • Improved UI and navigation
  • Better explanation of game mechanics
  • Increased offline progress

IdleSpiral

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • Game is unresponsive
  • Ads don't work or give rewards
  • Patterns are random
  • Bar at the bottom center not growable
  • Phone gets super hot and drains battery
Show 23 more
  • Translation is poor
  • Offline progress not accumulating
  • Game speed items cause overheating
  • Game becomes laggy
  • Last two Z Reactors missing
  • Last three challenges missing
  • Game not idle, requires active play
  • Rewards reset when app is closed
  • Memory of Formula system confusing
  • Battles no longer progress offline
  • Text is too small
  • Daily bonus not working
  • Offline gains broken
  • Achievements not unlocking
  • Offline battles don't increase difficulty
  • Stats not functioning
  • Social sharing (screenshot/tweet) broken
  • Daily rewards unclear
  • Challenges past first versions inaccessible
  • Save process wipes progress
  • Offline enemy kills not counting
  • Spiral Equations not working
  • Difficulty of fighting tab not increasing offline

Requested features

10 requests
  • Fix bugs and glitches
  • Improve ad rewards and length
  • Make the game truly idle again
  • Fix offline gains and progress
  • Improve translation and text display
Show 5 more
  • Bring PC version content to mobile
  • Fix social sharing features
  • Add dark mode
  • Fix challenges not appearing
  • Fix Z-Reactors not appearing

In-app purchases

None

Idle Acorns

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

IdleSpiral

One-time12
  • Spiral Point 500$1.99
  • Snake Spiral$4.99
  • Bubble Spiral$4.99
Show 9 more
  • Arrow Spiral$4.99
  • Water Spiral$9.99
  • Space Spiral$9.99
  • Bonfire Spiral$9.99
  • Permanent Bonus$9.99
  • Pixel Spiral$9.99
  • Railway Spiral$9.99
  • Spiral Point 3000$12.99
  • Spiral Point 10000$29.99

Questions

Is Idle Acorns free?
Idle Acorns costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is IdleSpiral free?
IdleSpiral is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Idle Acorns or IdleSpiral?
Idle Acorns is rated higher. Idle Acorns averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while IdleSpiral averages 4.3 from 77 ratings.
Do Idle Acorns or IdleSpiral have ads?
IdleSpiral shows ads; Idle Acorns does not.
Which is updated more often, Idle Acorns or IdleSpiral?
Idle Acorns ships an update every 6 weeks, and IdleSpiral every 2 days. Most recently, Idle Acorns was updated on October 20, 2026 and IdleSpiral on October 12, 2026.

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