# Frotz vs Hosted Games

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Frotz at none against Hosted Games's 35. Frotz also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (91% vs 77%). Hosted Games's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (956 vs 251). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hosted Games sells 33 one-off in-app purchases. Frotz asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Frotz against 4.7 for Hosted Games. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 956 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Frotz's written reviews are positive against 77% of Hosted Games's.

Frotz ships an update every 5 months, Hosted Games every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Frotz | Hosted Games |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (251 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frotz/id287653015/reviews)** | [4.7 (956 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 251 | **956** |
| Positive reviews | **90.8% of reviews** | 77.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Craig Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/287653018) | [Hosted Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/482415564) |

## What reviewers say

### Frotz

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frotz/id287653015)

Experience classic text-based adventure games on your mobile device. Relive the golden age of interactive fiction with hundreds of free titles, supporting various game formats. Perfect for those who enjoy reading, thinking, and typing their way through immersive stories.

**Highlights:** Play hundreds of free interactive fiction games, Supports Z-Machine, glulx, and TADS formats, Relive classic text adventures, Modern interface with high-resolution fonts, Play on iPhone and iPad

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent performance
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Vast library of interactive fiction
- 🚀 Seamless game importing
- 👍 Helpful auto-complete and note-taking features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔧 Limited customization options
- 🔧 Lack of map/note-taking tools for some games
- 🔧 Difficulty browsing and downloading new games

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to resume certain saved games
- Inconsistent behavior when deleting or importing games

**Requested features**

- Add support for more modern interactive fiction formats
- Implement cloud sync and cross-device save support
- Improve game library management and discovery
- Add more customization options for text display


### Hosted Games

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731)

Explore a vast library of text-based interactive novels where your choices shape the narrative. Engage in diverse genres from horror and fantasy to romance and sci-fi, all powered by your imagination. Create your own stories using a simple scripting language.

**Highlights:** Vast library of interactive novels, Text-based storytelling, Choice-driven narratives, Multiple genres available, Create your own games, ChoiceScript programming language

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

**In-app purchases (33)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dragon of Steelthorne | $2.99 | one-time |
| Side Stories 21-30 | $2.99 | one-time |
| First Bull Run | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tokyo Wizard | $2.99 | one-time |
| It Takes Three to Tango | $3.99 | one-time |
| Divine Ascension | $4.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga | $4.99 | one-time |
| Keeper's Vigil | $5.99 | one-time |
| World War II Armored Recon | $5.99 | one-time |
| Life as a Lich | $5.99 | one-time |
| Velocity: The Race Begins | $6.99 | one-time |
| Keeper of the Sun and Moon | $6.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga Book 6 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Rebirth | $6.99 | one-time |
| Hero or Villain: Genesis | $6.99 | one-time |
| A Kiss from Death | $6.99 | one-time |
| Kitsune | $6.99 | one-time |
| Whiskey-Four | $6.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Soul Stone War | $7.99 | one-time |
| Leas: City of the Sun | $7.99 | one-time |
| The People's House | $7.99 | one-time |
| Scales of Justice | $7.99 | one-time |
| Tale of Two Cranes | $8.99 | one-time |
| Breach: The Archangel Job | $8.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two | $8.99 | one-time |
| Saturnine | $8.99 | one-time |
| The Golden Rose: Book One | $11.99 | one-time |
| Diaspora | $11.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles Three | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Retribution | $11.99 | one-time |
| An Unexpectedly Green Journey | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fields of Asphodel | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Frotz free?

Frotz is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hosted Games free?

Hosted Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Frotz or Hosted Games?

Frotz is rated higher. Frotz averages 4.8 out of 5 from 251 ratings, while Hosted Games averages 4.7 from 956 ratings.

### Do Frotz or Hosted Games have ads?

Hosted Games shows ads; Frotz does not.

### Which is updated more often, Frotz or Hosted Games?

Frotz ships an update every 5 months, and Hosted Games every 10 days. Most recently, Frotz was updated on September 24, 2026 and Hosted Games on September 26, 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.*