# Idle Army vs GEARS

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Army | GEARS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (21K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-army/id1553739106/reviews) | **[4.7 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gears-war-machine/id6748002805/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **21K** | 1K |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | **35.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 277 MB | 269 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kwalee Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/497961736) | [MAD PIXEL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581972745) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Army

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-army/id1553739106)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| V.I.P. Subscription | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| SPY | $1.99 | one-time |
| Railgun | $1.99 | one-time |
| Costume One man army | $1.99 | one-time |
| Costume Super soldier | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aditionnal Unit Slot | $1.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Flamethrower | $2.99 | one-time |
| Grenadier | $2.99 | one-time |
| God Father | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Great time killer
- 🚀 Casual and easy to play

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🔋 Overheats device
- 🔒 False advertising about ad-free version

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### GEARS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gears-war-machine/id6748002805)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Gem Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Custom Command Deal | $1.99 | one-time |
| Recruiter’s Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ad-Free Upgrade | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tactical Reserve | $6.99 | one-time |
| War Chest | $14.99 | one-time |
| War Chest | $29.99 | one-time |
| Commander's Vault | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*