Comparison

Castle Smasher vs Bloons TD 5

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

Head to head
About

Castle Smasher

Launch boulders from a catapult to destroy enemy castles and conquer the kingdom. This updated version offers three distinct game modes, including challenges, classic arcade, and randomly generated target practice levels. Master the art of stone slinging to free prisoners and plunder treasures.

Highlights
  • Three game modes
  • 50 challenge levels
  • Classic arcade mode
  • Randomly generated target practice
  • Catapult upgrades
  • Free prisoners and recruit them
Features
Read full description

Ready, aim, fire! Load your catapult and SLING BOULDERS at the enemies' castles on a quest to CONQUER the kingdom. Castle Smasher v2 is the NEW and UPDATED version of the original web game that started a whole new sub-genre of catapult games back in 2007. Travel from castle to castle, challenge new tribes and rescue prisoners in this extended version packed with THREE game modes. Can you master the art of stone slinging? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FEATURES: - THREE game modes - 1: "Challenges" - new game mode with 50 LEVELS - 2: "Arcade" - the classic Castle Smasher game - 3: "Target Practice" - another new game mode with RANDOMLY GENERATED levels for maximum replay value - NO IN-APP PURCHASES: Buy once, own forever! - Cool catapult upgrades - Castles jam-packed with treasures and bonus items waiting to be plundered - Prisoners that can be freed and recruited to your army - Rock solid controls - Donut Games' Collectors Icon #02 - And much more... TECH STUFF: - Game Center support - Widescreen support - Universal App (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch support) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Enjoy another Donut Games release!

About

Bloons TD 5

Build towers, choose upgrades, and hire special agents to pop waves of invading balloons. This tower defense game offers extensive replayability with numerous tracks, missions, and challenges.

Highlights
  • Build and upgrade towers
  • Hire special agents
  • Over 90 tracks
  • Online co-op play
  • Daily and special challenges
  • Boss Bloon events
  • Multiple game modes
Features
Read full description

Five-star tower defense with unrivaled depth and replayability. Now with rewarded leaderboards for even more fun and challenge! The Bloons are back and this time they mean business! Build awesome towers, choose your favorite upgrades, hire cool new Special Agents, and pop every last invading Bloon! Featuring 2 brand new Towers, cool Special Agents, glorious retina graphics, original Tracks and Special Missions, a whole new tier of Specialty Building upgrades, and the powerful Monkey Lab to further upgrade your towers, Bloons TD 5 delivers hours and hours of fun, challenging play to fans and new players alike. Hours and Hours of Awesome Gameplay: * 90+ Tracks * 21 powerful towers with Activated Abilities and 2 upgrade paths * 10 Special Agents * Online Co-op play * Multi-track Odyssey Challenges * Boss Bloon Special Events * 10 Special Missions * 250+ Random Missions * Daily Challenges * New Bloon enemies - tougher Camos, Regrow Bloons, and the fearsome ZOMG * 50+ Game Center Achievements and Challenges * iCloud Support * 3 different game modes * Freeplay mode after mastering a track * 4 difficulty settings and family-friendly theme so anyone can play And that's just the beginning - regular planned updates will keep Bloons TD 5 fresh, fun, and challenging for many months to come. Now it's time to pop some Bloons! Remember to save to iCloud after each victory or purchase to save your progress. iPad version also available - check out Bloons TD 5 HD for full screen UI awesomeness! https://ninjakiwi.com/terms

Screenshots

Castle Smasher3 screens
Bloons TD 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Castle Smasher at none against Bloons TD 5's 10. Castle Smasher also leads on ads (none vs shown) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). Bloons TD 5's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (99K vs 43). On rating, review sentiment and device support 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

Castle Smasher costs $1.99 and Bloons TD 5 $2.99 up front. Bloons TD 5 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Castle Smasher asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Castle Smasher against 4.8 for Bloons TD 5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bloons TD 5 has 99K ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Castle Smasher's written reviews are positive against 79% of Bloons TD 5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Castle Smasher ships an update every 17 months, Bloons TD 5 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Castle Smasher versus Bloons TD 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCastle SmasherBloons TD 5
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating4.7 (43 ratings)4.8 (99K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews — better79.4% of reviews
Number of ratings4399K — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#10 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB151 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDonut GamesNinja Kiwi

Customer experience

Castle Smasher

All ratings43 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews445 reviews
Positive85.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative8.8%

Bloons TD 5

All ratings98,268 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews646 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative15.2%

User reviews

Castle Smasher

From 43 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Simple yet engaging
  • 👍 Relaxing and fun
  • 👍 Great classic mobile game
  • 👍 Numerous and well-designed levels

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💡 Lack of new levels or updates
  • 💡 Difficulty scaling could be improved

Bloons TD 5

From 99K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 💎 Excellent value for money
  • 🐒 Unique and charming theme
  • 🔥 Highly replayable with lots of content
  • 🎮 Great for killing time

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔊 Sound/music issues
  • 🔌 Performance issues on later rounds
  • 🤝 Multiplayer connectivity problems
  • 💰 Microtransactions feel intrusive

Bugs and requests

Castle Smasher

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • Freezing or crashing on certain levels

Requested features

5 requests
  • New levels or level editor
  • Multiplayer or competitive modes
  • Additional gameplay modes or challenges
  • Customization options for catapult/castle
  • Ability to save progress and resume later

Bloons TD 5

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent disconnects in multiplayer
  • Sound/music not working
  • Crashes on high rounds
  • Difficulty spikes between levels

Requested features

5 requests
  • More maps and game modes
  • Ability to transfer save data across devices
  • Improved multiplayer features (chat, custom maps)
  • New tower types and upgrades
  • Customization options (skins, etc.)

In-app purchases

None

Castle Smasher

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Bloons TD 5

One-time10
  • Tower Unlock All Upgrades$0.99
  • Rank Up$0.99
  • 500 Monkey Money$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Bundle O' Monkey Money$2.99
  • Pile O' Monkey Money$2.99
  • Pile O' Tokens$4.99
  • Pile O' Monkey Money$4.99
  • Vault O' Tokens$9.99
  • Double Cash Mode$9.99
  • Vault O' Monkey Money$19.99

Questions

Is Castle Smasher free?
Castle Smasher costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bloons TD 5 free?
Bloons TD 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Castle Smasher or Bloons TD 5?
Bloons TD 5 is rated higher. Castle Smasher averages 4.7 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Bloons TD 5 averages 4.8 from 99K ratings.
Do Castle Smasher or Bloons TD 5 have ads?
Bloons TD 5 shows ads; Castle Smasher does not.
Which is updated more often, Castle Smasher or Bloons TD 5?
Castle Smasher ships an update every 17 months, and Bloons TD 5 every 2 months. Most recently, Castle Smasher was updated on November 10, 2026 and Bloons TD 5 on November 13, 2026.

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