Comparison

Frotz vs Eldrum

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

Head to head
About

Frotz

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
Read full description

[*Warning* Playing Frotz involves reading, thinking, and typing. If you just want to blow stuff up, this is not the app for you!] Burned out on all the new-fangled graphics and dazzling eye candy on your shiny new iPhone or iPad? Nostalgic for a simpler time? Then take advantage of those crisp high-resolution fonts to relive the glory days of the Great Underground Empire, or play any of hundreds of great works from the Interactive Fiction archive. Frotz lets you play hundreds of free works of Interactive Fiction (a.k.a. text adventure games) on your iPhone or iPad. Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format (which was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity), as well as glulx and TADS formats. In the past couple of decades, text adventures have experienced a renaissance of sorts due to the efforts of a diverse Internet community of talented interactive fiction writers and fans. Many of these games are written using the same engine that powered Infocom's titles, thanks to the Inform compiler and authoring system created by Graham Nelson. NOTE! If you have suggestions for improving Frotz or encounter bugs, please go to the support link and report them. Frotz for iOS - Interactive Fiction at Your Fingertips

About

Eldrum

Embark on a dark fantasy text-based RPG where your decisions forge your path. Explore a war-torn world, uncover secrets, and shape your character's destiny through branching narratives and multiple endings. This immersive experience offers deep gameplay reminiscent of tabletop RPGs.

Highlights
  • Text-based choices adventure RPG
  • Nostalgic table-top RPG style
  • Character building and equipment
  • Multiple endings based on choices
  • Secrets to discover
  • High replayability
Features
Read full description

Dive into a dark, immersive world where your choices shape your destiny. Eldrum: Red Tide is a gripping text-based RPG that combines the depth of D&D, the strategic gameplay of CRPGs, and the narrative freedom of CYOA gamebooks. Eldrum: Red Tide is a dark fantasy story about a former soldier who is searching for his family in a world ravaged by war. Your brother is gone without a trace. What happened to him? The answer to this question lies at the end of a long and dangerous journey. The world has changed. The place where you were born was burned to ash. People out there are struggling to survive. You are a shadow of your former self, having suffered grave injuries during the war. But the past is the past. What matters is the here and now. You have the freedom to shape your own destiny. There is always a choice. FEATURES - Nostalgic table-top RPG style - Many secrets to discover - Equip and build your character - Multiple endings that vary depending on your choices throughout the story - Replayability with different play styles opening up different locations, NPCs and gear - Text based choices adventure RPG - Supports both phones and tablets - Accessible to blind and low-vision players Eldrum: Red Tide is the second game in the Eldrum series. The games' stories are linked and there are references between the games, but they can be played in any order.

Screenshots

Frotz3 screens
Eldrum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Frotz at none against Eldrum's 3. Frotz also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.5.0). Eldrum's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. Eldrum sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Frotz asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Frotz against 4.9 for Eldrum. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 431 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Frotz's written reviews are positive against 95% of Eldrum's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Frotz ships an update every 5 months, Eldrum every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Frotz versus Eldrum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFrotzEldrum
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (251 ratings)4.9 (431 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.8% of reviews94.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings251431 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.5.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB177 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperCraig SmithAct None

Customer experience

Frotz

All ratings251 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews293 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative4.4%

Eldrum

All ratings431 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.1%
Negative4.3%

User reviews

Frotz

From 251 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Eldrum

From 431 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great story
  • 👍 Immersive and engaging
  • 🎨 Excellent visuals and atmosphere
  • 📚 Detailed and well-written lore
  • 🎮 Compelling gameplay with meaningful choices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional combat balance issues
  • 🕹️ Challenging combat system for some players
  • 📱 Not optimized for larger screens (iPad)

Bugs and requests

Frotz

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes when trying to resume certain saved games
  • Inconsistent behavior when deleting or importing games

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

Eldrum

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent enemy shield/evasion chances
  • Difficulty spikes in certain encounters

Requested features

2 requests
  • Sound effects for combat
  • More content and story expansions

In-app purchases

None

Frotz

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Eldrum

One-time3
  • Upgrade from Basic to Premium$2.49
  • Basic$6.99
  • Premium$7.99

Questions

Is Frotz free?
Frotz is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Eldrum free?
Eldrum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Frotz or Eldrum?
Eldrum is rated higher. Frotz averages 4.8 out of 5 from 251 ratings, while Eldrum averages 4.9 from 431 ratings.
Do Frotz or Eldrum have ads?
Neither Frotz nor Eldrum shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Frotz or Eldrum?
Frotz ships an update every 5 months, and Eldrum every 2 weeks. Most recently, Frotz was updated on September 30, 2026 and Eldrum on October 2, 2026.

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