# Slay vs Subterfuge

The clearest difference is price: Subterfuge at Free against Slay's $4.99. Subterfuge also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (87% vs 74%). Slay's advantage is chart position (#189 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Subterfuge is free to download; Slay costs $4.99 up front. Slay sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Subterfuge sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Slay against 4.7 for Subterfuge. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 266 and 585 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Slay's written reviews are positive against 87% of Subterfuge's.

Slay ships an update every 3 months, Subterfuge every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Slay | Subterfuge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (266 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slay/id305324342/reviews) | **[4.7 (585 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/subterfuge/id702951905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 266 | **585** |
| Positive reviews | 74.5% of reviews | **87.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 26 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sean O'Connor](https://appshunter.io/developer/305324345) | [Secret Plan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1612896544) |

## What reviewers say

### Slay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slay/id305324342)

**Currently charting:** #189 Top Paid · Board (US App Store)

Engage in a turn-based strategy game set in medieval times. Conquer enemy territories, expand your own, and strategically upgrade your units from peasants to powerful barons. Balance resource management to avoid bankruptcy and achieve victory.

**Highlights:** Territory capture and expansion, Unit upgrades (Peasants to Barons), Strategic combat and castle sieges, Resource management and bankruptcy risk, Turn-based multiplayer, AI opponents

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Snowflakes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Countries 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Countries 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Patterns 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Patterns 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Patterns 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Patterns 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| US States | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mythical Creatures | $0.99 | one-time |
| Whole row of 18 pages | $9.99 | one-time |
| Whole 3rd row | $9.99 | one-time |
| Whole 4th row | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Classic and timeless game
- 🕹️ Simple yet engaging gameplay
- 🧠 Challenging and strategic
- ⏱️ Great for quick play sessions
- 🔁 High replayability with many maps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Dislike for recent graphical updates
- 🔍 Difficulty distinguishing territories
- 🔊 Annoying sound effects
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Multiplayer not working
- Progress not saving in custom levels
- Graphical issues on newer devices

**Requested features**

- Option to revert to classic graphics
- Ability to choose starting color
- Larger/randomized map sizes
- Online/multiplayer mode
- Level editor or custom map creation


### Subterfuge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/subterfuge/id702951905)

Engage in a week-long real-time strategy and diplomacy game. Gather intelligence, coordinate with others, and issue orders to influence the game's outcome. Master both strategic planning and player negotiation to achieve victory.

**Highlights:** Week-long real-time gameplay, Strategy and diplomacy mechanics, Intelligence gathering, Order issuance, Player coordination, Unlimited scheduled orders (with IAP), Private game creation (with IAP)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Patron (L3) | $4.99 | per month |
| Medal | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 5 Medals | $4.99 | one-time |
| Level 2 Security Clearance | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Awesome strategy game
- 👍 Brilliant game
- 👍 Fantastic game
- 👍 Best strategy game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy
- 🐛 Crashes too much
- 🐛 Unplayable
- 🐛 Crashes
- 🐛 Chat freezes

**Reported bugs**

- Queen randomly loses hire points
- Win conditions don't trigger
- Login screen freezes
- Game crashes on launch
- Notifications arrive late

**Requested features**

- Accelerated gameplay
- Shorter game modes
- Alliance feature
- More specialists
- New game modes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Slay free?

Slay costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Subterfuge free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Slay or Subterfuge?

Subterfuge is rated higher. Slay averages 4.6 out of 5 from 266 ratings, while Subterfuge averages 4.7 from 585 ratings.

### Do Slay or Subterfuge have ads?

Neither Slay nor Subterfuge shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Slay or Subterfuge?

Slay ships an update every 3 months, and Subterfuge every 10 days. Most recently, Slay was updated on October 18, 2026 and Subterfuge on October 16, 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.*