Comparison

Mindbug Online vs Balatro

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

Head to head
About

Mindbug Online

Experience a unique and streamlined card battler designed by the creator of Magic: The Gathering. This skill-based dueling game features powerful cards, fast matches, and infinite strategies with a groundbreaking mechanic that lets you control opponent creatures. It's accessible yet deeply challenging, with no pay-to-win elements.

Highlights
  • Streamlined card battler mechanics
  • Skill-based dueling
  • Groundbreaking creature control
  • Fast and intense matches
  • Infinite strategic possibilities
  • No pay-to-win
Features
Read full description

Start playing Mindbug Online today - the new ultimate card battler! Mindbug distills all the excitement of strategy card games and transforms it into the most streamlined card battler of the multiverse. Accessible and fair, yet extremely challenging and deep. Mindbug is a skill-based dueling card game that feels utterly different from all the other card games you've played before. From Richard Garfield – Creator of Magic the Gathering With Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic: The Gathering) as one of the designers, this game has been designed with more than 30 years of card game experience and combined with a groundbreaking and innovative new game mechanic. Crazy Card Abilities – OMG this is OP In Mindbug, each card is insanely powerful. There are no weak cards, and it feels like all your options are completely overpowered. Every single decision in this game matters. Turn the tables with a single move. It’s all up to you and your skill. Fast and Intense Matches A game of Mindbug can be played in less than 5 minutes, making it perfect for when you have a few minutes to spare. But don’t be fooled by its quickness – the strategic depth will blow your mind. Infinite Strategies Even though Mindbug is extremely easy to learn, the game will keep surprising you with new and exciting challenges and combos. The unique Mindbug mechanic allows you to control your opponents’ creatures and leads to unique decision-making that requires even veteran card game players to adjust their traditional playstyle. Not a collectible card game – No Pay to win! Mindbug is not a trading card game. There are no loot boxes, no random cards, and no pay-to-win. If you buy a card set, you can play with it as much as you want. What are you waiting for earthling? Show your incredible skill and turn your opponents’ strongest creatures into your own advantage! Play Mindbug Online Now!

About

Balatro

This game blends poker and solitaire mechanics with unique rule-bending twists. Build powerful poker hands, discover game-changing Joker cards, and create exciting combos to defeat challenging Boss Blinds. Explore different decks and game modes for endless replayability.

Highlights
  • Poker and Solitaire hybrid gameplay
  • Rule-bending mechanics
  • Collect over 150 unique Joker cards
  • Create powerful combos
  • Campaign and challenge modes
  • Pixel art visuals
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the official Balatro mobile game! Hypnotic and endlessly satisfying, Balatro is a magical mix of card games like Solitaire and Poker, that lets you twist the rules in ways never seen before! Your goal is to beat the Boss Blinds by making strong poker hands. Find new Jokers that change the game and create awesome and exciting combos! Win enough chips to beat tricky bosses, and find hidden bonus hands and decks as you play. You’ll need all the help you can get to beat the big boss, win the final challenge, and win the game. Features: * Remastered controls for touch screen devices. * Each run is different: every pick-up, discard and joker can dramatically alter the course of your run. * Multiple game items: discover over 150 Jokers, each with special powers. Use them with different decks,upgrade cards and vouchers to boost your scores. * Different Game modes: Campaign mode and challenge mode for you to play. * Beautiful Pixel Art: Immerse yourself in the CRT fuzz and enjoy detailed, hand-crafted pixel art.

Screenshots

Mindbug Online4 screens
Balatro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mindbug Online at Free against Balatro's $9.99. Balatro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21) and ratings volume (105K vs 42). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Mindbug Online is free to download; Balatro costs $9.99 up front. Mindbug Online sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. Balatro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Balatro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balatro has 105K ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Mindbug Online's written reviews are positive against 81% of Balatro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mindbug Online ships an update every 3 weeks, Balatro every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Mindbug Online versus Balatro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindbug OnlineBalatro
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (42 ratings)5.0 (105K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews81.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42105K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better13.5
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB93 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKissaki StudiosPlaystack Ltd

Customer experience

Mindbug Online

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative32.8%

Balatro

All ratings105,357 ratings
Positive99.2%
Neutral0.3%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews1,832 reviews
Positive81.1%
Neutral5.2%
Negative13.7%

User reviews

Mindbug Online

From 42 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent game
  • ⚖️ Balanced gameplay
  • 🔍 Depth and strategy
  • 💰 Fair monetization
  • 🕹️ Enjoyable gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🕰️ Slow animations
  • 🤖 Inconsistent AI
  • 🔍 Lack of customization
  • 🔒 Poor customer support

Balatro

From 105K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive gameplay
  • 💎 Unique and compelling mechanics
  • 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
  • 🎨 Charming pixel art and music
  • 💰 Great value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and save issues
  • 🔍 Small text and UI elements
  • 🔋 Battery draining
  • 🔇 No background music support

Bugs and requests

Mindbug Online

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tutorial issues
  • Infinite battle loop
  • Purchasing issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to pick opponents
  • Faster gameplay option
  • More customization options

Balatro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unlocks and achievements not registering properly
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices
  • Joker and card interactions not working as expected

Requested features

3 requests
  • Cloud save sync across devices
  • Portrait mode option
  • Customizable UI and accessibility settings

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Mindbug Online

One-time21
  • 300 Gold$0.99
  • 1000 Gold$2.99
  • 500 DNA$4.99
Show 18 more
  • Battlefruit Kingdom Set$8.99
  • Beyond Evolution Set$8.99
  • Beyond Eternity Set$8.99
  • Mr Green Reward Path$8.99
  • Mr Pink Season Pass$8.99
  • First Contact Set + Add-On$8.99
  • 5000 Gold$11.99
  • Battlefruit Galaxy + Mindbugs$12.99
  • Mindbug x King of Tokyo Card Set$12.99
  • Battlefruit Kingdom + Mindbugs$12.99
  • Christmas Bundle$14.99
  • FC Set + Mr Green$14.99
  • First Contact Bundle$14.99
  • 2400 DNA$19.99
  • Battlefruit + Both Mindbugs$22.99
  • FC Set + Mr Pink + Mr Green$22.99
  • 20000 Gold$34.99
  • 6000 DNA$49.99
None

Balatro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mindbug Online free?
Mindbug Online is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Balatro free?
Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mindbug Online or Balatro?
Balatro is rated higher. Mindbug Online averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Balatro averages 5.0 from 105K ratings.
Do Mindbug Online or Balatro have ads?
Neither Mindbug Online nor Balatro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mindbug Online or Balatro?
Mindbug Online ships an update every 3 weeks, and Balatro every 5 days. Most recently, Mindbug Online was updated on September 10, 2026 and Balatro on September 24, 2026.

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