# Taipan! Mobile vs Roll

The clearest difference is rating: Roll at 4.6 against Taipan! Mobile's 3.5. Roll also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (78% vs 56%). Taipan! Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Roll sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Roll holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 128 and 439 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Taipan! Mobile's written reviews are positive against 78% of Roll's.

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Roll weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Taipan! Mobile | Roll |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962/reviews) | **[4.6 (439 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roll/id6452083813/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 128 | **439** |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **78.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 370 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fair Oaks Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327652659) | [Joseph Anthony Distler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1698740947) |

## What reviewers say

### Taipan! Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962)

Experience a classic 1980s trading and adventure game set in the 1860s Western Pacific. Sail, trade exotic goods, battle pirates, and evade authorities. The game offers a nostalgic visual style with a modern mobile interface.

**Highlights:** Sail the Western Pacific, Trade exotic goods, Battle pirates, Evade customs officials, Fend off criminals, Pay tribute to Tin Hau

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Faithful recreation of classic 1980s Apple II game
- ⚡ Turbo feature speeds up lengthy battle animations
- 💾 Auto-save functionality preserves progress
- 🎯 Addictive gameplay mechanics remain engaging
- 📱 Smooth mobile adaptation with intuitive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Deceptive freemium model with paywall after 5-15 minutes
- ⚠️ Unclear pricing disclosure at download
- 🎲 Difficulty appears artificially inflated compared to original
- 🔄 Restore purchase fails across devices requiring repayment
- 🎯 Limited gun/ship upgrade opportunities

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchase fails on new devices, requiring repayment
- Game doesn't save properly when home button pressed mid-transaction
- Cannot trade after returning from interrupted session
- Restore purchase temporarily works then requests payment again
- Game freezes or crashes on iOS 11+ for some users

**Requested features**

- Sound effects and audio from original game
- Option to start with 5 guns and no debt
- Ability to purchase upgrades more frequently
- Modern graphics enhancement or Taipan 2 version
- Larger warehouse capacity and expandable storage


### Roll

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roll/id6452083813)

Engage in a relaxing dice-rolling experience where you aim to collect points by rolling dice and strategically upgrading them. This game blends elements of strategy, clicker, and roguelike deckbuilders for a unique dice-building system with deep strategic choices. Enjoy a meditative escape with its minimalistic design and peaceful atmosphere.

**Highlights:** Dice rolling for points, Dice upgrading system, Strategy and critical thinking, Relaxing and meditative experience, Unique dicebuilding synergies, Highscore chasing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Roll Premium | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to play
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 🔒 No ads or microtransactions
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Unique and innovative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 👎 Limited free content
- 👎 Confusing or overwhelming UI
- 👎 Lack of customization options
- 👎 Repetitive gameplay

**Reported bugs**

- Upgrade shop issues
- Crashes and freezes
- Swiping/tapping issues
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- More dice skins and customization
- Sandbox mode with unlimited rolls
- Improved dice management UI
- More detailed stats and analytics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Taipan! Mobile free?

Taipan! Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Roll free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Taipan! Mobile or Roll?

Roll is rated higher. Taipan! Mobile averages 3.5 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Roll averages 4.6 from 439 ratings.

### Do Taipan! Mobile or Roll have ads?

Neither Taipan! Mobile nor Roll shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Taipan! Mobile or Roll?

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Roll weekly. Most recently, Taipan! Mobile was updated on October 17, 2026 and Roll on October 14, 2026.

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