# Monster Dash vs Spartan Runner.

The clearest difference is monetization model: Spartan Runner. at free with in-app purchases against Monster Dash's subscription. Spartan Runner. also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (89% vs 62%). Monster Dash's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Monster Dash sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Spartan Runner. sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Spartan Runner. holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.1K and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Monster Dash's written reviews are positive against 89% of Spartan Runner.'s.

Monster Dash ships an update every 3 weeks, Spartan Runner. every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monster Dash | Spartan Runner. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-dash/id370070561/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spartan-runner/id1410696004/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | 61.8% of reviews | **89.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 127 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Halfbrick](https://appshunter.io/developer/356994313) | [William Bourdon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1410696003) |

## What reviewers say

### Monster Dash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-dash/id370070561)

Embark on an action-packed adventure running and gunning through monster hordes. Master simple controls to blast enemies with powerful weapons across diverse worlds. Discover hidden awards and enjoy uninterrupted gameplay.

**Highlights:** Run and gun gameplay, Powerful weapons, Diverse worlds, Unique enemies, Hidden awards, Simple controls

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Halfbrick+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Trial) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Yearly discount) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ | $29.99 | per year |
| The Mega Magnet | $0.99 | one-time |
| Special Ammo Gadget | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Gem Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Fruit Ninja Blade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Weapon Bundle 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Weapon Bundle 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Apocalypse Starter Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gem Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Incredibubble | $3.99 | one-time |
| Large Gem Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| Halfbrick+ | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Classic arcade-style visuals
- 💡 Ghostbusters event mashup

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Overheating issues on older devices
- 💰 Excessive microtransactions and paywalls

**Reported bugs**

- Progress and purchases disappearing after updates
- Game Center integration not working properly
- Spawning enemies too close to the player

**Requested features**

- Bring back the original pixel art style
- Add more unlockable weapons and gadgets
- Implement a classic mode without energy/stamina system


### Spartan Runner.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spartan-runner/id1410696004)

Embark on an action-packed 2D adventure where you equip a Spartan with a shotgun to battle an alien invasion. Explore over 40 missions, customize your character, and upgrade weapons. Compete with friends on the global leaderboard.

**Highlights:** Old-school 2D graphics, Over 40 missions, Spartan customization, Weapon upgrades, Rewards and achievements, Weekly challenges, Global leaderboard

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Credits pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Credits pack 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ads removal | $2.99 | one-time |
| Credits pack 3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Credits pack 4 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Credits pack 5 | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👌 Perfecto
- 🎮 New game idea
- 🕹️ Halo in a nutshell
- 👍 Good before bed game
- 🏃‍♂️ Spartan runner

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙅‍♂️ Bad app support
- 🙅‍♂️ Worst game ever
- 💰 Good if you don't care about ads
- 🐛 Fix level 16
- 🙅‍♂️ Can't X out of ads

**Reported bugs**

- Level 16 the add always freezes up and I have restarted the level 3 times
- Mission 21 is impossible to get all 12 marines
- The banshee levels could be fixed and the automatic weapons should kill elites in two or three shots, not one. The automatic weapons could be given more ammo to counter this. Also brutes, hunters and elites should deal more damage than jackals and there should be energy sword elites and maybe gravity hammer brutes later in the run that can kill you in one hit
- All of the characters in the game are copyrighted so kiss money goodbye, fake halo game
- The enemy sprites need to be added instead of just blobs cause the blobs just get in the way of the experience of the game it's supposed to feel like halo yes well the enemy's you can't tell what they are you can't tell if it's forerunners or Covinet or Prometheus you can't tell

**Requested features**

- Make a RTS halo game!
- Put this spartan into super Mario bros?
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Playable Eleates (Elites) where you can customize their armor and stuff and get like different suits with an alien weapon


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monster Dash free?

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

### Is Spartan Runner. free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Monster Dash or Spartan Runner.?

Spartan Runner. is rated higher. Monster Dash averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Spartan Runner. averages 4.8 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Monster Dash or Spartan Runner. have ads?

Neither Monster Dash nor Spartan Runner. shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Monster Dash or Spartan Runner.?

Monster Dash ships an update every 3 weeks, and Spartan Runner. every 6 weeks. Most recently, Monster Dash was updated on October 12, 2026 and Spartan Runner. on October 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*