# Idle Game Dev Empire vs Ship It

The clearest difference is rating: Ship It at 5.0 against Idle Game Dev Empire's 4.3. Ship It also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). Idle Game Dev Empire's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Game Dev Empire sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Ship It sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ship It holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 6 respectively.

Idle Game Dev Empire ships an update every 10 days, Ship It daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Game Dev Empire | Ship It |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-game-dev-empire/id1608029989/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-it-idle-dev-tycoon/id6809817246/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 275 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexander Sollazzo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1608029991) | [Hendrik Haandrikman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1760504141) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Game Dev Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-game-dev-empire/id1608029989)

Build and manage your own game development studio from a small office to a multinational corporation. Design, develop, and release various types of games, manage your team, and grow your company even while offline. Compete on leaderboards and prestige to restart with advantages.

**Highlights:** Design and develop text, 2D, 3D, and VR games, Mix genres and themes for unique game creation, Hire and manage development teams, Grow your company with investments and marketing, Earn revenue while offline, Prestige system for harder restarts, Compete on leaderboards and complete achievements

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 250 Gems | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy Starter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| 1.000 Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| 2.500 Gems | $8.99 | one-time |
| 10.000 Gems | $22.99 | one-time |
| 25.000 Gems | $44.99 | one-time |
| 60.000 Gems | $89.99 | one-time |


### Ship It

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-it-idle-dev-tycoon/id6809817246)

Build a virtual app development empire from a small studio to a large business. Manage tech debt, handle app store reviews, and hire advisors to optimize your growth. Make strategic exits to gain permanent benefits for future runs.

**Highlights:** Build and improve apps, Manage tech debt, Handle app store reviews and incidents, Hire and upgrade advisors, Automated builds and idle earnings, Make strategic studio exits, Unlock permanent legacy benefits

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Founder Club | $4.99 | per month |
| Pocket Chips — 30 Chips | $0.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Chips — 160 Chips | $4.99 | one-time |
| Crate of Chips — 350 Chips | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Game Dev Empire free?

Idle Game Dev Empire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ship It free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Idle Game Dev Empire or Ship It?

Ship It is rated higher. Idle Game Dev Empire averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Ship It averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Idle Game Dev Empire or Ship It have ads?

Both Idle Game Dev Empire and Ship It show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Game Dev Empire or Ship It?

Idle Game Dev Empire ships an update every 10 days, and Ship It daily. Most recently, Idle Game Dev Empire was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ship It on October 31, 2026.

---

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