Comparison

Monster Dash vs Star Thief

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

Head to head
About

Monster Dash

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
Read full description

Sprint, Jump and Blast your way through Monster Dash, an action-packed game by the creators of Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja. Experience the classic game resurrected from the dead! With simple controls, just two buttons, making it easy-to-learn but hard to master. Join Barry Steakfries and his iconic Machine Gun Jetpack in a world full of menacing monster mayhem, as you run and gun your way through hordes of zombies, vampires and more with the most explosive and powerful weapons you can find! UNIQUE FEATURES: • Clear your path with punchy and powerful Weapons! • Uninterrupted gameplay without ads or in-app purchases • 5 different exotic worlds to survive • Unique enemies to defeat in each world • 62 Hidden Awards and Accolades to discover Download Monster Dash now and embark on an action-packed, monster-slaying, adventure… with a dash of nostalgia. Do the dash, do the Monster Dash! WHAT'S HALFBRICK+ Halfbrick+ is a mobile games subscription service featuring: ● Exclusive access to the highest-rated games ● No ads or in app purchases ● Brought to you by the makers of Award-winning mobile games ● Regular updates and new games ● Curated by hand - for gamers by gamers! Kick off your Guest Access with 60 minutes of gameplay! If you like what you see, start your One Month free trial and play all our games without ads, in app purchases, and fully unlocked games! Your subscription will auto-renew after 30 days, or save money with an annual membership! If you have any questions, please contact our support team https://support.halfbrick.com **************************************** View our privacy policy at https://halfbrick.com/hbpprivacy View our terms of service at https://www.halfbrick.com/terms-of-service

About

Star Thief

Embark on an interstellar adventure across five unique worlds with over 70 levels. Challenge yourself with daily endless modes or a New Game+ after completion. Compete globally on leaderboards and unlock achievements.

Highlights
  • 70+ levels
  • Five unique worlds
  • Daily Rush mode
  • New Game+
  • Global online leaderboards
  • Game Center achievements
  • iCloud game saves
Features
Read full description

Highlights • 70+ levels and five unique worlds • Daily Rush and New Game+ modes • Global online leaderboards • Game Center achievements • ProMotion support for 120Hz devices • Supports all native device resolutions • iCloud game saves • Home screen quick actions • Free content updates • No ads, notifications or in-app purchases! Daily Rush mode is an all-new endless challenge mode set in a unique, procedurally generated level that changes every day at midnight. New Game+ unlocks after completing the game and adds a challenging new twist. To enable cloud saves go to Settings → iCloud → iCloud Drive → Sign in with Game Center. Reviews • Gamezebo (5 out of 5) • Apple 'N' Apps (4 out of 5) • AppAdvice (4 out of 5) • Pocket Gamer (8 out of 10) Star Thief is available exclusively for iPhone and iPad. Available on the App Store since 2012.

Screenshots

Monster Dash4 screens
Star Thief4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Star Thief at 4.9 against Monster Dash's 4.4. Star Thief also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 19) and review sentiment (95% vs 62%). Monster Dash's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 16). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Monster Dash sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Star Thief asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Star Thief holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monster Dash has 2.1K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Monster Dash's written reviews are positive against 95% of Star Thief's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monster Dash ships an update every 3 weeks, Star Thief every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Monster Dash versus Star Thief: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonster DashStar Thief
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (2.1K ratings)4.9 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.8% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K — better16
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB22 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHalfbrick StudiosPaul Ewers

Customer experience

Monster Dash

All ratings2,120 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews709 reviews
Positive61.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative27.9%

Star Thief

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.4%

User reviews

Monster Dash

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Star Thief

From 16 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 💡 Innovative and unique idea
  • ✨ Charming and cute graphics/art style
  • 🚀 Smooth and relaxing experience
  • 🎮 Simple controls, easy to learn

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Too short, not enough levels
  • ⭐ Strict rating system (missed stars)
  • 🤔 Some find it too simple

Bugs and requests

Monster Dash

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Star Thief

Requested features

6 requests
  • More levels
  • Updates
  • New worlds
  • Sequels or packs
  • Game Center leaderboards
Show 1 more
  • Russian translation

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Monster Dash

Subscriptions6
  • Halfbrick+$2.991 Month
  • Halfbrick+ (Trial)1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter)6 Months trial$2.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Halfbrick+ (Yearly discount)$2.991 Month
  • Halfbrick+3 variants$29.991 Year
  • Halfbrick+1 Year trial$29.991 Year
One-time11
  • The Mega Magnet$0.99
  • Special Ammo Gadget$0.99
  • Small Gem Pack$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Fruit Ninja Blade$1.99
  • Weapon Bundle 1$1.99
  • Weapon Bundle 2$1.99
  • Apocalypse Starter Pack$2.99
  • Medium Gem Pack$3.99
  • Incredibubble$3.99
  • Large Gem Pack$8.99
  • Halfbrick+$99.99
None

Star Thief

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monster Dash free?
Monster Dash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Star Thief free?
Star Thief is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Monster Dash or Star Thief?
Star Thief is rated higher. Monster Dash averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Star Thief averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.
Do Monster Dash or Star Thief have ads?
Neither Monster Dash nor Star Thief shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monster Dash or Star Thief?
Monster Dash ships an update every 3 weeks, and Star Thief every 9 months. Most recently, Monster Dash was updated on October 23, 2026 and Star Thief on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons