# Drop and Explode vs Smash Runner!

The clearest difference is update cadence: Smash Runner! at weekly against Drop and Explode's every 6 months. Smash Runner! also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 2K). Drop and Explode's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 22%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drop and Explode sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smash Runner! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Drop and Explode holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smash Runner! has 14K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Drop and Explode's written reviews are positive against 22% of Smash Runner!'s.

Drop and Explode ships an update every 6 months, Smash Runner! weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drop and Explode | Smash Runner! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drop-and-explode-soda-geyser/id1629897016/reviews)** | [4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smash-runner/id1641058310/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2K | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | **48.8% of reviews** | 21.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 227 MB | 258 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [AI Games FZ](https://appshunter.io/developer/1478916023) | [Rollic Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1452111779) |

## What reviewers say

### Drop and Explode

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drop-and-explode-soda-geyser/id1629897016)

Engage in explosive soda experiments by dropping mint candies into a bottle of coke. Collect candies and use multipliers to create the tallest geyser possible in this fun physics-based game.

**Highlights:** Soda geyser experiments, Mint candy collection, Multiplier power-ups, Hundreds of levels, Simple controls, Explosive gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

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

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Awesome
- ⭐ Fun
- ⭐ Best game ever
- ⭐ Satisfaction of the game
- ⭐ Good game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches
- 🔍 Leaderboard issues
- 🛑 Too many ads
- 🚫 Couldn't load/play the game
- 🤔 Wrong math calculations

**Reported bugs**

- Leaderboard glitch
- Loading/crashing issues
- Upgrade issues

**Requested features**

- More levels
- Level ideas (Mars, Pluto)


### Smash Runner!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smash-runner/id1641058310)

Embark on a colorful adventure where you collect layers to grow larger. Become big enough to smash through blocks and experience the satisfying feeling of destroying cubes.

**Highlights:** Collect layers, Grow bigger, Smash blocks, Colorful adventure, Cube smashing

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and satisfying gameplay
- 👍 Unique and engaging concept
- 💡 Potential for more levels

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🤔 Misleading advertising

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes at higher levels
- Levels not loading or resetting progress
- Unresponsive controls and gameplay issues

**Requested features**

- Add an ad-free option
- Improve level progression and difficulty scaling
- Fix stability issues and crashes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drop and Explode free?

Drop and Explode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Smash Runner! free?

Smash Runner! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Drop and Explode or Smash Runner!?

Drop and Explode is rated higher. Drop and Explode averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Smash Runner! averages 4.6 from 14K ratings.

### Do Drop and Explode or Smash Runner! have ads?

Both Drop and Explode and Smash Runner! show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drop and Explode or Smash Runner!?

Drop and Explode ships an update every 6 months, and Smash Runner! weekly. Most recently, Drop and Explode was updated on September 21, 2026 and Smash Runner! on September 25, 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.*