Comparison

Canabalt vs Monster Dash Lite

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • One-button controls
  • Infinite runner gameplay
  • New game modes
  • Multiple characters
  • High score chasing
  • Two-player option
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

Canabalt4 screens
Monster Dash Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Canabalt versus Monster Dash Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCanabaltMonster Dash Lite
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (84 ratings)4.8 (58 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.1% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings84 — better58
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#156 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.2 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB435 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperFinjiHalfbrick Studios

Customer experience

Canabalt

All ratings82 ratings
Positive79.3%
Neutral9.8%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews364 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral11.8%
Negative20.1%

Monster Dash Lite

All ratings52 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

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

None

Canabalt

No in-app purchases

18 purchases

Monster Dash Lite

One-time18
  • Super Ammo$0.49
  • Barry Mutant$0.99
  • Bag of gems$0.99
Show 15 more
  • 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?
Canabalt costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Dash Lite free?
Monster Dash Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite?
Monster Dash Lite is rated higher. Canabalt averages 4.3 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Monster Dash Lite averages 4.8 from 58 ratings.
Do Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite have ads?
Monster Dash Lite shows ads; Canabalt does not.
Which is updated more often, Canabalt or Monster Dash Lite?
Canabalt ships an update every 2 months, and Monster Dash Lite monthly. Most recently, Canabalt was updated on October 29, 2026 and Monster Dash Lite on October 20, 2026.

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