Temple Run vs Subway Surfers
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Temple Run
Embark on a thrilling adventure to steal a cursed idol and escape relentless pursuers through ancient temples and treacherous ruins. Navigate a maze of obstacles, collect coins, and unlock new characters in this fast-paced endless running game.
- Swipe to turn, jump, and slide
- Race through ancient temples and ruins
- Collect coins and unlock characters
- Boost power-ups
- Challenge friends and climb leaderboards
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The Original Endless Running Adventure! Experience the thrill of Temple Run – the global phenomenon that redefined mobile gaming! Steal the cursed idol and escape from the relentless Demon Monkeys in a heart-pounding adventure through ancient temples, jungle ruins, and precarious cliff edges. Outrun danger in the ultimate maze-running, jungle-escaping, temple adventure! - Swipe to turn, jump, and slide past deadly obstacles - Race through temples, bridges, and treacherous paths - Collect coins, unlock diverse characters, and boost your power-ups - Test your reflexes in a fast and frenzied experience - Challenge friends & climb the leaderboards "Temple Run is that heart-pounding action movie moment – but non-stop!” – SlideToPlay "One of the most thrilling and fun running games ever!" – TheAppera "A fast and frenzied experience." – IGN "Very addicting… a truly different running game!" – Appolicious Join over 50 MILLION players worldwide in this legendary treasure-hunting escape! Download now and see how far you can run!
Subway Surfers
Embark on an exhilarating endless running adventure, dodging trains and outsmarting a persistent guard. Utilize hoverboards, jetpacks, and acrobatic moves to achieve high scores and compete with friends in this visually vibrant game.
- Endless running gameplay
- Dodge oncoming trains
- Grind on trains
- Hoverboard surfing
- Paint-powered jetpack
- Fast swipe acrobatics
- Challenge friends
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DASH as fast as you can! DODGE the oncoming trains! Help Jake, Tricky & Fresh escape from the grumpy Guard and his dog. - Grind trains with your cool crew! - Colorful and vivid HD graphics! - Hoverboard Surfing! - Paint powered jetpack! - Lightning fast swipe acrobatics! - Challenge and help your friends! Join the App Store's most daring chase! A Universal App with HD optimized graphics for retina resolution. Originally co-developed by SYBO and Kiloo.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Subway Surfers at weekly against Temple Run's every 2 months. Subway Surfers also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (87% vs 72%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Temple Run sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Subway Surfers sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Subway Surfers holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subway Surfers has 3.9M ratings behind it against 420K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Temple Run's written reviews are positive against 87% of Subway Surfers's.
Temple Run ships an update every 2 months, Subway Surfers weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Temple Run | Subway Surfers |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (420K ratings) | 4.6 (3.9M ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews | 86.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 420K | 3.9M — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #28 | #7 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 373 MB | 394 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Imangi Studios, LLC | Sybo Games ApS |
Customer experience
Temple Run
Subway Surfers
User reviews
Temple Run
From 420K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
- 🎮 Nostalgic and addictive
- 💎 Customizable characters
- 🌳 Detailed jungle environments
Room to improve
- 🔍 Repetitive obstacles
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔇 Intrusive ads
Subway Surfers
From 3.9M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 📱 Works well offline
- 🎨 Diverse characters and themes
- 🎢 Challenging and fast-paced
- 🎁 Rewarding progression system
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🕰️ Frequent updates can be disruptive
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🕹️ Difficulty controlling character at times
- 🔍 Lack of save/sync across devices
Bugs and requests
Temple Run
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inconsistent controls and unresponsive swipes
- Crashes and freezes on some devices
- Incorrect score tracking and display
Requested features
4 requests- More character and environment variety
- Ability to disable ads for a one-time fee
- Leaderboards and achievements
- Offline mode
Subway Surfers
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game crashes after updates
- Disappearing high scores and progress
- Unresponsive controls during gameplay
- Ads that redirect to App Store unexpectedly
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to save progress across devices
- More customization options for characters
- Difficulty settings or modes
- Multiplayer/competitive features
- Reduced ad frequency or ad-free option
In-app purchases
Temple Run
- Handful of Coins$0.99
- Ad Removal$1.99
- Bag of Coins$4.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Chest of Coins$9.99
- Pile of Coins$19.99
Subway Surfers
- 7,500 Coins$0.99
- 12 500 Coins$0.99
- Starter Pack$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Coin Pack 1$0.99
- 45,000 Coins$4.99
- Double Coins$4.99
- 65 000 Coins$4.99
- 25 Keys$4.99
- 40 Keys$4.99
- Key Pack 1$4.99
Questions
Is Temple Run free?
Is Subway Surfers free?
Which has better reviews, Temple Run or Subway Surfers?
Do Temple Run or Subway Surfers have ads?
Which is updated more often, Temple Run or Subway Surfers?
Which is more popular, Temple Run or Subway Surfers?
Other comparisons
