Canabalt vs Monster Dash Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Canabalt
Escape a collapsing city by running and jumping with a single button. This classic infinite runner offers new game modes, multiple characters, and a thrilling race for survival.
- One-button controls
- Infinite runner gameplay
- New game modes
- Multiple characters
- High score chasing
- Two-player option
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"Fantastic... Super-simple, pixel-perfect, great music and sound." - daringfireball.net "Canabalt is pure genius." -necessarygames.com Escape the destruction of your city with just one button! The game that popularized the infinite runner genre is back with new game modes and support for every dang phone and tablet thingy! ------------------------- "This "daring escape" platformer is simply beautiful and beautifully simple." -Kotaku "It's going to be quite some time before you find something so simple so thrilling again." -Offworld "Canabalt is actually much more intense than you'd assume of a game which requires a single finger to play." -GameSpy ------------------------- Play any of the 8 new game modes with one or two players, dash across rooftops with four different runners, or just chase that high score in the classic futile race for survival. ------------------------- "It's all very lovely and full of poignant subtext. And awesomeness. Canabalt is a prime example of a simple idea executed extremely well." -JayIsGames "I have never seen a concept so richly and successfully realized in such a simple yet stunningly complete form. Canabalt represents the power and potential of small independent games." -gameinmind.com "Music is another component that is just perfect - it enhances the strange and unsettling setting of the game and also gives a sense of speed with a hint of hope that quick feet might be the salvation to the horror." -bartsnews.net
Monster Dash Lite
Embark on an explosive run-and-gun adventure, blasting through hordes of undead with powerful weapons. Collect loot, level up, and complete missions in a world of monster mayhem. Unlock new gear and costumes for endless arcade fun.
- Run and gun gameplay
- Shoot hordes of monsters
- Collect loot and level up
- Unlock weapons and costumes
- Complete challenging missions
- Arcade mode for endless fun
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Run and gun your way through hordes of zombies, vampires and more with the most explosive and powerful weapons you can find! Join Barry Steakfries in a world full of menacing monster mayhem! DASH as fast as you can SHOOT hordes of monsters JUMP over oncoming enemies YOUR MISSION Should you choose to accept, you must travel with Barry Steakfries and exterminate the monsters plaguing this universe. • Collect loot and level-up • Shoot hordes of monsters across different worlds • Unlock killer weapons, cool gadgets and radical costumes • Complete challenging missions • Play arcade mode for endless fun Join the App Store’s most awesome run and gun game! From the creators of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride! FREE-TO-PLAY Please note that Monster Dash is a free to play game that includes optional in-app purchases. You can turn off the payment feature by disabling in-app purchases in your device’s settings .......................................................... Need help? Reach out to us at: https://support.halfbrick.com Privacy Policy: https://www.halfbrick.com/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.halfbrick.com/terms-of-service
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Monster Dash Lite at Free against Canabalt's $2.99. Monster Dash Lite also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (80% vs 68%). Canabalt's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume, update cadence 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
Monster Dash Lite is free to download; Canabalt costs $2.99 up front. Monster Dash Lite sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Canabalt asks for nothing beyond the download.
Monster Dash Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 58 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Canabalt's written reviews are positive against 80% of Monster Dash Lite's.
Canabalt ships an update every 2 months, Monster Dash Lite monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Canabalt | Monster Dash Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (84 ratings) | 4.8 (58 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 84 — better | 58 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #156 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.2 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 435 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Finji | Halfbrick Studios |
Customer experience
Canabalt
Monster Dash Lite
Bugs and requests
Canabalt
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on iOS 14
- Sound effects not working on some devices
- High scores not displaying correctly
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to turn off music
- More game modes and levels
- Online leaderboards and achievements
- Controller support
Monster Dash Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Canabalt
No in-app purchases
Monster Dash Lite
- Super Ammo$0.49
- Barry Mutant$0.99
- Bag of gems$0.99
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Barry Grim Reaper$0.99
- Fruit Ninja Blade$0.99
- Starter Pack Shadow$0.99
- Pack Weapon Bundle 2$0.99
- Pack Weapon Bundle 1$0.99
- Supply Slot$0.99
- Starter Pack Apocalypse$1.99
- Pack Treasure Pouch$1.99
- Gadget Slot$1.99
- Chest of Gems$2.99
- Coin Doubler$2.99
- Pack Halloween$2.99
- Gem doubler$2.99
- Coffin of gems$5.99
- Pack Treasure Vault$12.99
Questions
Is Canabalt free?
Is Monster Dash Lite free?
Which has better reviews, Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite?
Do Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite?
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