# Castle Defender vs MelonBox

The clearest difference is rating: Castle Defender at 5.0 against MelonBox's 3.4. MelonBox's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 26 months) and ratings volume (47 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Castle Defender sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MelonBox sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Castle Defender holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MelonBox has 47 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Castle Defender ships an update every 26 months, MelonBox every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Castle Defender | MelonBox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-defender-machine-gun3d/id1580943009/reviews)** | [3.4 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/melonbox/id6479563946/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **47** |
| Positive reviews | — | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 215 MB | 394 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Maysalward UK](https://appshunter.io/developer/1241753360) | [KIDS GAMES LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1479640840) |

## What reviewers say

### Castle Defender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-defender-machine-gun3d/id1580943009)

Defend your town from relentless skeleton armies in this arcade shooting tower defense game. Upgrade weapons and defenses to survive increasing waves and defeat the undead boss. Shoot your way through the hordes to protect the city and its people.

**Highlights:** Wave-based skeleton defense, Weapon and defense upgrades, Boss battles, Arcade shooting gameplay, Town protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


### MelonBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/melonbox/id6479563946)

Create and destroy in a 3D sandbox universe. Build worlds, populate them with dynamic characters, and unleash chaos with a variety of weapons. Experience a living environment that reacts to your actions.

**Highlights:** 3D world-building, Dynamic character creation, Over 20 weapons, Interactive environments, Sandbox gameplay, Community features

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Battle Pass | $12.99 | per 7 days |
| Toilet Attack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Tesla Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Solarman Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Lightman Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Sirenman Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Mikehead Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Drill Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Machine gun Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Plane Titan | $5.99 | one-time |
| Chainsaw Angel Titan + No ADs | $6.99 | one-time |
| Reporter Titan + No ADs | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Castle Defender free?

Castle Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MelonBox free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Castle Defender or MelonBox?

Castle Defender is rated higher. Castle Defender averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while MelonBox averages 3.4 from 47 ratings.

### Do Castle Defender or MelonBox have ads?

Both Castle Defender and MelonBox show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Castle Defender or MelonBox?

Castle Defender ships an update every 26 months, and MelonBox every 3 weeks. Most recently, Castle Defender was updated on October 8, 2026 and MelonBox on October 16, 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.*