# Swarm Defender vs Hex Defense!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Swarm Defender at 80% against Hex Defense!'s 16%. Swarm Defender also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 14) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). Hex Defense!'s advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.8) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hex Defense! sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Swarm Defender asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hex Defense! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hex Defense! has 4.6K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Swarm Defender's written reviews are positive against 16% of Hex Defense!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Swarm Defender ships an update every 5 months, Hex Defense! fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Swarm Defender | Hex Defense! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swarm-defender/id1563461665/reviews) | **[4.5 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-defense/id6736362115/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **4.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 16.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 83 MB | 392 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Adknown](https://appshunter.io/developer/1243054661) | [Voodoo](https://appshunter.io/developer/714804730) |

## What reviewers say

### Swarm Defender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swarm-defender/id1563461665)

A new turret defense game where players swipe to manage battery connections to turrets. Power up defenses by creating multiple connections or conserve energy by breaking them. Recharge your battery by connecting to external energy sources to fend off an incoming swarm.

**Highlights:** Intuitive swipe controls, Connect/disconnect battery, Power up turrets, Conserve battery, Recharge battery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hex Defense!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-defense/id6736362115)

Strategically place and merge weapons to defend a vibrant cube world. Demolish waves of incoming enemies by upgrading your arsenal with powerful skills. Protect the world from the encroaching evil hexes.

**Highlights:** Defeat enemy waves, Merge weapons, Demolish enemy stacks, Upgrade skills, Save the cube world

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Gems Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Gems Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Speed Up | $4.99 | one-time |
| Golden Pass | $6.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $7.99 | one-time |
| Auto Blessings | $7.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gems Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer: Minigun | $12.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer: Inferno | $14.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer: Tesla | $19.99 | one-time |
| Large Gems Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Ads Bundle | $24.99 | one-time |
| Huge Gems Pack | $44.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate Gems Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and wholesome gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. stage progression issues, tower upgrades not working)
- 💰 Monetization concerns (e.g. ads, paid features removed)
- 🔍 Incomplete/unfinished content (e.g. missing levels, towers, features)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to progress past certain levels
- Towers not unlocking as expected
- Game crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- More maps and levels
- Additional tower types and upgrades
- Offline play option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Swarm Defender free?

Swarm Defender is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hex Defense! free?

Hex Defense! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Swarm Defender or Hex Defense!?

Hex Defense! is rated higher. Swarm Defender averages 3.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Hex Defense! averages 4.5 from 4.6K ratings.

### Do Swarm Defender or Hex Defense! have ads?

Both Swarm Defender and Hex Defense! show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Swarm Defender or Hex Defense!?

Swarm Defender ships an update every 5 months, and Hex Defense! fortnightly. Most recently, Swarm Defender was updated on October 8, 2026 and Hex Defense! on October 24, 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.*