# Merge & Shoot! vs Cubes Up!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cubes Up! at 100% against Merge & Shoot!'s 56%. Cubes Up! also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Merge & Shoot!'s advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (318 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merge & Shoot! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Cubes Up! asks for nothing beyond the download.

Merge & Shoot! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merge & Shoot! has 318 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Merge & Shoot!'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Cubes Up!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merge & Shoot! | Cubes Up! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (318 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-and-shoot/id1625879244/reviews)** | [3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cubes-up/id6511249463/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **318** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 269 MB | 235 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +4 | 12+ |
| Developer | [Macaca Games Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1278612016) | [Umut Aydin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755609153) |

## What reviewers say

### Merge & Shoot!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-and-shoot/id1625879244)

Combine and upgrade powerful auto-shooting turrets to create an unstoppable force. Unleash a barrage of bullets to overcome challenging waves of enemies in this action-packed game.

**Highlights:** Merge and assemble turrets, Auto-shooting mechanics, Bullet-hell combat, Upgrade turrets, Epic mayhem

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gem (Tiny) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hand of Midas 1 Day | $2.99 | one-time |
| Battle Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bundle (Medium) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem (Small) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem (Medium) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hand of Midas 7 Days | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem (Big) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Gem Growth Fund | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Impressive playability without paying
- 👍 Reasonable in-app purchases
- 👍 Enjoyable arena mode
- 👍 Good improvements with updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 High prices for passes
- 😴 Monotonous gameplay
- 🚫 Forced ads
- 👎 New turret designs disliked
- 🧊 Endless tower won't load

**Reported bugs**

- Endless tower freezes
- Bug: duplicate turret after merge
- Bug: merge doesn't consume item from bag
- Bug: arena won't let player progress
- Bug: incorrect opponent level in arena

**Requested features**

- Remove daily arena cap
- Add ability to buy merge stones
- Add waves game mode
- Add co-op mode
- Add real-time PvP with infinite tiles


### Cubes Up!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cubes-up/id6511249463)

Engage in a satisfying arcade experience where you shoot and upgrade your arsenal to destroy incoming cubes. Progress through levels by enhancing your firepower and clearing waves of targets.

**Highlights:** Shoot cubes, Upgrade guns, Destroy targets, Arcade gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merge & Shoot! free?

Merge & Shoot! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cubes Up! free?

Cubes Up! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Merge & Shoot! or Cubes Up!?

Merge & Shoot! is rated higher. Merge & Shoot! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 318 ratings, while Cubes Up! averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Merge & Shoot! or Cubes Up! have ads?

Both Merge & Shoot! and Cubes Up! show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merge & Shoot! or Cubes Up!?

Merge & Shoot! ships an update fortnightly, and Cubes Up! fortnightly. Most recently, Merge & Shoot! was updated on November 3, 2026 and Cubes Up! on October 30, 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.*