Comparison

Machinarium vs Meridian 157

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

Head to head
About

Machinarium

Embark on an adventure as a robot named Josef to rescue his girlfriend, Berta, who has been kidnapped by a criminal gang. Explore a unique robot city and solve puzzles to achieve your goal.

Highlights
  • Robot protagonist
  • Story-driven adventure
  • Puzzle solving
  • Unique robot city setting
  • Award-winning visuals
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Machinarium is the award-winning independent adventure game developed by the makers of Samorost series, Botanicula and CHUCHEL. Help Josef the robot to save his girlfriend Berta kidnapped by the Black Cap Brotherhood gang. "Absolutely Fantastic" - TouchArcade 4/4 - USA TODAY 4/4 - SlideToPlay 9/10 - Pocket Gamer Awards: - IGF, Excellence in Visual Art Award - Gamasutra, Best Indie Game Of The Year - VGChartz.com, Best Indie Game Of The Year

About

Meridian 157

Embark on a thrilling point-and-click adventure as a forensic meteorologist trapped on a mysterious island. Solve intricate puzzles and uncover secrets to escape a dangerous underground environment. This installment features immersive visuals, custom music, and a logical hint system.

Highlights
  • Interactive point-and-click puzzles
  • Intriguing storyline across chapters
  • Immersive environments and high-quality visuals
  • Item combine feature
  • Logical hint system
  • Multi-language support
  • Color blind mode
Features
Read full description

In both a figurative and literal sense, forensic meteorologist David Zander has hit rock bottom. Trapped deep underground on a lost and forgotten island, David’s priority shifts from finding answers about the mystery surrounding him, to surviving the crisis he now finds himself trapped in. It’s now up to you to find an escape from the madness of meridian 157, but be warned, as escape may not come so easily. Will David find the answers he searched so hard for, or will his efforts all be in vain? Meridian 157 is a point and click adventure series involving interactive puzzles and an intriguing storyline taking place over a long series of chapters. Built using state of the art rendering technology, this installment focuses on immersing players in unique and frightening environments, while allowing them to enjoy notable puzzles and engaging interactions. Try out the fully free prologue to get a taste for what the Meridian series has to offer! Features: • Custom written music to compliment the high quality visuals • All new item combine feature, supporting many different styles of play • Latest episode continuing a spooky and thrilling storyline • Challenging but • A logical hint system for some of the most difficult riddles • Available in 8 languages, including English, French, Russian, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese! • New colour blind mode available for people who might have trouble with colour based puzzles Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive all the latest news! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NovaSoftInteractive/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/novasoftint

Screenshots

Machinarium4 screens
Meridian 1574 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Meridian 157 at $2.99 against Machinarium's $9.99. Meridian 157 also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 69%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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

Machinarium costs $9.99 and Meridian 157 $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Meridian 157 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 4.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Machinarium's written reviews are positive against 94% of Meridian 157's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Machinarium versus Meridian 157: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMachinariumMeridian 157
Price$9.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.5 (1K ratings)4.8 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.3% of reviews93.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K4.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#155#70 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size302 MB326 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperAmanita Design s.r.o.NovaSoft Interactive Ltd

Customer experience

Machinarium

All ratings992 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews475 reviews
Positive69.3%
Neutral9.9%
Negative20.8%

Meridian 157

All ratings4,162 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews385 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative2.9%

User reviews

Machinarium

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork and graphics
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack and sound design
  • 🤖 Cute and engaging main character
  • 🧠 Challenging and rewarding puzzles
  • 👍 Immersive and atmospheric game world

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficulty in seeing small details on mobile screens
  • 🕹️ Clunky or unresponsive touch controls
  • 🤔 Puzzles can be overly obscure or unintuitive
  • 🕰️ Repetitive gameplay in some areas
  • 💤 Slow pacing can feel tedious at times

Meridian 157

From 4.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging story
  • 👍 Challenging but fair puzzles
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and atmosphere
  • 🔍 Intriguing mystery
  • 📷 Useful camera feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches or bugs
  • 🔍 Some puzzles lack clear logic
  • ⏱️ Chapters can be short
  • 🔍 Hints sometimes too revealing

Bugs and requests

Machinarium

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Glitches preventing progress in key areas
  • Inconsistent responsiveness of interactive elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Difficulty settings or customization options
  • Ability to skip or bypass certain mini-games
  • Improved save/resume functionality
  • Expanded story or sequel content

Meridian 157

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Red drawer not opening with key
  • Sound turning off when device locked
  • Pipe puzzle clues not clear

Requested features

4 requests
  • More chapters/episodes
  • Ability to revisit past diary entries
  • More varied puzzle types
  • Panning/zooming camera controls

In-app purchases

None

Machinarium

No in-app purchases

None

Meridian 157

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Machinarium free?
Machinarium costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Meridian 157 free?
Meridian 157 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Machinarium or Meridian 157?
Meridian 157 is rated higher. Machinarium averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Meridian 157 averages 4.8 from 4.2K ratings.
Do Machinarium or Meridian 157 have ads?
Neither Machinarium nor Meridian 157 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Machinarium or Meridian 157?
Machinarium ships an update every 5 weeks, and Meridian 157 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Machinarium was updated on November 1, 2026 and Meridian 157 on October 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, Machinarium or Meridian 157?
Machinarium currently peaks at #155 in the App Store charts, and Meridian 157 at #70. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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