# Empire Takeover vs Base Defense!

Empire Takeover and Base Defense! both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Empire Takeover's written reviews are positive against 22% of Base Defense!'s. Empire Takeover also leads on ads (none vs shown). Base Defense!'s advantage is ratings volume (10K vs 3.2K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Empire Takeover sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Base Defense! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Empire Takeover holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.2K and 10K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Empire Takeover's written reviews are positive against 22% of Base Defense!'s.

Empire Takeover ships an update every 10 days, Base Defense! weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Empire Takeover | Base Defense! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empire-takeover/id1584093266/reviews)** | [4.7 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/base-defense/id1628006501/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K | **10K** |
| Positive reviews | **72.4% of reviews** | 22.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 520 MB | 282 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [HONGKONG HERONOW LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869211264) | [Rollic Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1452111779) |

## What reviewers say

### Empire Takeover

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empire-takeover/id1584093266)

Build and expand your empire by connecting buildings to grow them taller. Recruit legendary heroes and crush opponents with simple drag controls. Enjoy various game modes, including a level editor and offline play.

**Highlights:** Connect and grow buildings, Drag controls for building takeover, Build and occupy territory, Recruit legendary heroes, Stage Maker Mode for level design, Peace Mode for solo play, Offline Mode for network-free play

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| prefered Giftpack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Monthly Card_2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 4 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Monthly Card_4 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Monthly Card_3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 5 | $19.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 7 | $49.99 | one-time |
| prefered Giftpack 8 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Fun community
- 🚀 Lots of content to keep you engaged

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🤯 Confusing user interface and menus
- 💰 Overly monetized with expensive in-app purchases
- 🤔 Unclear game mechanics and progression

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and server instability
- Graphical glitches and performance problems
- Lost progress and rewards due to bugs

**Requested features**

- Better tutorial and in-game help
- Ability to play with friends
- More focus on the core tower defense gameplay


### Base Defense!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/base-defense/id1628006501)

Lead your community, manage resources, and defend your base from enemies. Explore new areas to rescue civilians and expand your territory. Upgrade your character and hire workers to strengthen your defenses and conquer new bases.

**Highlights:** Base defense and expansion, Resource management, Enemy combat and boss battles, Civilian rescue and community building, Character upgrades, Worker hiring

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Interesting concept
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 💡 Potential for more levels

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Severe performance issues and lag
- 💰 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🚫 Paid 'no ads' option doesn't work as expected

**Reported bugs**

- Workers and upgrades not functioning properly
- Progress not saving correctly
- Inconsistent and unreliable gameplay

**Requested features**

- Add sound and music
- Improve progression and longevity
- Reduce reliance on ads
- Fix bugs and optimize performance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Empire Takeover free?

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

### Is Base Defense! free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Empire Takeover or Base Defense!?

Empire Takeover is rated higher. Empire Takeover averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Base Defense! averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.

### Do Empire Takeover or Base Defense! have ads?

Base Defense! shows ads; Empire Takeover does not.

### Which is updated more often, Empire Takeover or Base Defense!?

Empire Takeover ships an update every 10 days, and Base Defense! weekly. Most recently, Empire Takeover was updated on October 22, 2026 and Base Defense! on October 21, 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.*