Comparison

Idle Army vs GEARS

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

Head to head
About

Idle Army

Lead your army against relentless enemy hordes. Merge units to create powerful soldiers and unlock devastating weapons. Strategize your troop organization and upgrade your hero to survive waves of attackers and achieve victory.

Highlights
  • Merge units to increase power
  • Unlock new recruits and weapons
  • Counter various enemy types
  • Upgrade and customize hero
  • Endless survival mode
  • Strategic troop organization
Read full description

Have you ever dreamt of being a squad leader? Now is the perfect time! You will have to survive a horde of enemies. With the help of your amazing army, march forward. Count on your soldiers and merge the units to become more powerful in order to defeat the attackers. They will use all of their power and might to attack you: drones, ninjas, trucks, and tanks. Get ready for battle! Discover new recruits to join your ranks and improve your firepower. How will you organize your military troops? Pistol, Rifle, Minigun, Bomber, Grenade, Rocket Launcher, Tank, Sniper and even Sharpshooter, they are all available to help you counter the waves. To conquer, you must reach the highest level and for that, you will have to create an all-star army and have a great rate of fire. Are the enemies too strong? Launch the nuke, but make sure to time it right. One blast can make you the ultimate tycoon… or end everything. Upgrade and customize your hero as you wish, do you feel more comfortable to shoot the enemies as a superhero or as an assassin? The choice is yours in this military simulation! Make sure to test the endless mode to prove your skills! Get ready for warfare!

About

GEARS

Design, build, and command your own custom combat mechs in this action-strategy game. Unleash your creations in dynamic battles, utilize powerful support abilities, and crush waves of enemies to prove your tactical strength.

Highlights
  • Gear-based mech constructor
  • Real-time battles
  • Diverse unit classes
  • Tactical support powers
  • Upgradeable gear and weapons
  • Offline-ready gameplay
Features
Read full description

Construct. Command. Conquer. Welcome to GEARS: War Machine — the ultimate action-strategy game where you build your own combat mechs using powerful gears and unleash them in dynamic battlefield warfare! - Design Your Machines Craft unique war units with modular parts, gear systems, and powerful upgrades. Create light scouts, tanky bruisers, or devastating long-range bots. Your workshop is your weapon. - Lead Armies of Steel Deploy your customized mech units and take control of the battlefield. Combine melee tanks, shooter bots, rocket launchers, and support units to outplay your enemies. - Activate Support Abilities Turn the tide with powerful boosts like Air Strikes, Orbital Lasers, Napalm Drops, and more. Timing is everything — command with precision! - Crush Waves of Enemies Face increasingly difficult challenges, climb the ranks, and prove your tactical strength across diverse environments. - Progress & Dominate Complete missions, upgrade your army, unlock new gear, and build an unstoppable mechanical force. Key Features: - Gear-based mech constructor system - Intense real-time battles with AI and PvE missions - Diverse unit classes: melee, ranged, support - Tactical support powers (laser, napalm, air strike) - Upgradeable gear, weapons, and commanders - Stylized military visuals with satisfying combat effects - Offline-ready — command anytime, anywhere Are you ready to engineer your own war machine? Download GEARS: War Machine now and build your path to domination!

Screenshots

Idle Army4 screens
GEARS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Idle Army at 21K against GEARS's 1K. On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Idle Army sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and GEARS sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Idle Army against 4.7 for GEARS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Army has 21K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 27% of Idle Army's written reviews are positive against 35% of GEARS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idle Army ships an update fortnightly, GEARS every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Idle Army versus GEARS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle ArmyGEARS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (21K ratings)4.7 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews35.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21K — better1K
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size277 MB269 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKwalee LtdMAD PIXEL

Customer experience

Idle Army

All ratings21,070 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews355 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral11.8%
Negative60.8%

GEARS

All ratings515 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral3.9%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral5.9%
Negative58.8%

Bugs and requests

Idle Army

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes at the end of certain levels
  • Rewards not registering after completing levels
  • Randomly deleting or duplicating troops

Requested features

4 requests
  • More troop types and upgrade options
  • Increase base size to accommodate more units
  • Add new maps and enemy types
  • Improve endless mode progression

GEARS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Idle Army

Subscriptions1
  • V.I.P. Subscription3 Days trial$7.997 Days
One-time9
  • SPY$1.99
  • Railgun$1.99
  • Costume One man army$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Costume Super soldier$1.99
  • Aditionnal Unit Slot$1.99
  • No Ads$2.99
  • Flamethrower$2.99
  • Grenadier$2.99
  • God Father$9.99
9 purchases

GEARS

One-time9
  • Starter Gem Pack$0.99
  • Custom Command Deal$1.99
  • Recruiter’s Bundle$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Premium Pass$3.99
  • Ad-Free Upgrade$4.99
  • Tactical Reserve$6.99
  • War Chest$14.99
  • War Chest$29.99
  • Commander's Vault$59.99

Questions

Is Idle Army free?
Idle Army is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GEARS free?
GEARS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Idle Army or GEARS?
GEARS is rated higher. Idle Army averages 4.6 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while GEARS averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do Idle Army or GEARS have ads?
Both Idle Army and GEARS show ads.
Which is updated more often, Idle Army or GEARS?
Idle Army ships an update fortnightly, and GEARS every 11 days. Most recently, Idle Army was updated on October 26, 2026 and GEARS on October 25, 2026.

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