Comparison

TowerMadness HD vs Mindustry

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

Head to head
About

TowerMadness HD

Defend your sheep from waves of alien invaders in this 3D tower defense strategy game. Utilize a vast arsenal of upgradeable weapons and over 100 maps to outsmart your enemies. Features include split-screen multiplayer and replay functionality.

Highlights
  • 3D tower defense gameplay
  • Over 100 maps
  • 60+ weapons and upgrades
  • 17 alien enemy types
  • Split-screen multiplayer
  • Replay functionality
  • Endless mode
Features
Read full description

The most downloaded 3D tower defense strategy game on the iPhone has been enhanced for the iPad and includes split-screen multiplayer! Winner of the prestigious Pocket Gamer Readers' Choice iPad Game of the Year Award! Evil aliens are coming to turn your beloved sheep into intergalactic scarves! Protect the flock using only quick thinking and the arsenal of upgradeable weaponry at your disposal. "Addictive, time-sucking fun. There are plenty of tower defense strategy games out there, but TowerMadness brings the genre to a new level." - Brian X Chen, Wired "If you’re a fan of Tower Defense games, do yourself a huge favor and check out TowerMadness." - Jon Phillips, MacLife "It would be madness to miss this game...it comes highly recommended." - Spanner Spencer, PocketGamer • WINNER, Best App Ever Awards, Best Strategy Game • FINALIST, Pocket Gamer Awards, Best Strategy/Simulation Game • A Wired Favorite iPhone App • A MacLife App of the Year A UNIQUE 3D TOWER DEFENSE EXPERIENCE Play from an aerial view or zoom down to first person and get close to the action. LOTS OF LEVELS Over 100 maps in diverse environments (35 available as expansion map packs). ALIENS! Think fast to defeat the 17 different types of alien enemies intent on stealing your sheep. GUNS, LOTS OF GUNS Over 60 diverse weapons and upgrades. ENDLESS FUN Endless mode lets you see how many waves you can withstand. COMPETITION Global leaderboards, Game Center achievements, and Friend Scores so you can compare scores with your friends and the millions of players worldwide. LET’S SEE THAT AGAIN! Replays let you learn new strategies or share your games with the world through Twitter, Facebook, or email. LOCAL MULTIPLAYER Two-player split screen battle mode featuring RoboSteal, the sheep stealing alien robot you can unleash upon your opponent. CUSTOMER LOYALTY BONUS Transfer any in app purchases made in the iPhone version of TowerMadness to TowerMadness HD for FREE! Visit support.limbic.com for details. Search for our other award-winning games: Zombie Gunship and Nuts!

About

Mindustry

Build complex factories, manage supply chains, and defend your base from enemy waves in this real-time strategy game. Conquer planets, research new technologies, and engage in multiplayer battles with friends.

Highlights
  • Factory building and supply chains
  • Tower defense against enemy waves
  • Cross-platform multiplayer co-op and PvP
  • Conquer planets with campaign and procedural sectors
  • Research new blocks and technologies
  • Map editor with scripting support
Features
Read full description

Mindustry is a factory-building game with tower defense and RTS elements. Create elaborate supply chains to feed ammo into your turrets, produce materials to use for building, and construct units. Command units to capture enemy bases, and expand your production. Defend your core from waves of enemies. Gameplay Features: - Use production blocks to create a wide variety of advanced materials - Defend your structures from waves of enemies - Play with your friends in cross-platform multiplayer co-op games, or challenge them in team-based PvP matches - Distribute liquids and fight constant challenges, like outbreaks of fire or enemy flier raids - Get the most out of your production by supplying optional coolant and lubricant - Produce a wide variety of units for automatic management of your base or assault on enemy bases - Set up assembly lines to construct armies of mechanized units - Use your units to square up against fully functional enemy bases Campaign: - Conquer the planets Serpulo and Erekir as you advance through 35 hand-made maps and 250+ procedurally generated sectors - Capture territory and set up factories to produce resources while you play other sectors - Defend your sectors from periodic invasions - Coordinate resource distribution between sectors via launch pads - Research new blocks to fuel progress - Invite your friends to complete missions together - 250+ technology blocks to master - 50+ different types of drones, mechs and ships Custom Games & Cross-Platform Multiplayer: - 16+ built in maps for custom games, in addition to two entire campaigns - Play co-op, PvP or sandbox - Join a public dedicated server, or invite friends to your own private session - Customizable game rules: Change block costs, enemy stats, starting items, wave timing and more - Full functional map editor with scripting support

Screenshots

Mindustry4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mindustry at none against TowerMadness HD's 9. Mindustry also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). TowerMadness HD's advantage is review sentiment (95% vs 74%) and iOS requirement (11 vs 15.0.0). On rating, ratings volume and ads 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

TowerMadness HD costs $4.99 and Mindustry $1.99 up front. TowerMadness HD sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Mindustry asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for TowerMadness HD against 4.5 for Mindustry. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 728 and 1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of TowerMadness HD's written reviews are positive against 74% of Mindustry's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TowerMadness HD ships an update every 2 months, Mindustry every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
TowerMadness HD versus Mindustry: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTowerMadness HDMindustry
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.6 (728 ratings) — better4.5 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews94.8% of reviews — better74.4% of reviews
Number of ratings7281K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#30 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11 — better15.0.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB149 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperZSpectre, Inc.Anton Kramskoi

Customer experience

TowerMadness HD

All ratings732 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.6%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1,563 reviews
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.8%

Mindustry

All ratings1,018 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral1.8%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews624 reviews
Positive74.4%
Neutral8.3%
Negative17.3%

User reviews

TowerMadness HD

From 728 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Best tower defense game
  • 🕹️ Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals
  • 🕰️ Challenging levels with good difficulty curve
  • 🤑 Good value for money with optional in-app purchases

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
  • 🔧 Lack of support and updates
  • 💰 Paywall for new content/maps
  • 🔍 Confusing UI and controls

Mindustry

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Excellent value
  • 🚀 Tons of content
  • 🚀 Impressive depth

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🐛 Unintuitive controls
  • 🐛 Lack of tutorial/guidance
  • 🐛 Outdated UI for newer devices
  • 🐛 Progression bottlenecks

Bugs and requests

TowerMadness HD

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 11 and newer
  • Lost progress and purchases after updates
  • Connectivity issues and server problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • More new maps and levels
  • Multiplayer and online features
  • Level editor and custom maps
  • Optimization for newer devices

Mindustry

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Freezing and performance issues
  • Save data corruption and loss
  • Incompatibility with newer devices

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to save/load custom maps
  • More campaign levels and content
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding
  • Expanded tech tree and upgrades
  • Better UI scaling for larger screens
Show 3 more
  • Ability to queue/fast-forward waves
  • Improved pathfinding and unit AI
  • More diverse enemy types and mechanics

In-app purchases

9 purchases

TowerMadness HD

One-time9
  • Flamethrower$1.99
  • Marsh Madness Map Pack$1.99
  • Flash Bait$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Proximity Mine$1.99
  • Moon Map Pack$1.99
  • Lava Map Pack$1.99
  • Spooky Map Pack$1.99
  • Coast Map Pack$1.99
  • Amazing Voyage Map Pack$5.99
None

Mindustry

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TowerMadness HD free?
TowerMadness HD costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Mindustry free?
Mindustry costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TowerMadness HD or Mindustry?
TowerMadness HD is rated higher. TowerMadness HD averages 4.6 out of 5 from 728 ratings, while Mindustry averages 4.5 from 1K ratings.
Do TowerMadness HD or Mindustry have ads?
Neither TowerMadness HD nor Mindustry shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TowerMadness HD or Mindustry?
TowerMadness HD ships an update every 2 months, and Mindustry every 3 days. Most recently, TowerMadness HD was updated on October 8, 2026 and Mindustry on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons