Comparison

SAS vs Dead Zed

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

Head to head
About

SAS

Engage in intense zombie-blasting action as an elite operative. Fight hordes of the undead alone or with a squad in co-op multiplayer across challenging maps. Rank up to unlock powerful weapons and perks.

Highlights
  • Intense zombie-blasting action
  • Single player and 4-player co-op multiplayer
  • 50 Ranks with weapon and perk unlocks
  • 44 devastating weapons
  • 5 challenging maps
  • 9 relentless zombie types
  • 3 vicious game modes
Features
Read full description

Elite SAS operatives handle the darkest missions, the worst hot zones - things we are not meant to know. Inserted without backup, either alone or as a 4 person squad, you will be sought by the walking dead, by hordes of unspeakable numbers. Your only option - paint the ground with every last one of them. From the creators of Bloons TD 5 comes the best action shooter on iOS! Rank up 50 times and unlock awesome weapons and perks with every rank. Dozens of guns and special weapons, 5 unique maps, and hundreds of zombies on screen at a time. And that's just single player! Play co-op multiplayer at any time with super-easy matchmaking geared to your level. Huge fun to jump into a game at the same time with friends, and doesn't matter what iOS you have - iPads play seamlessly with iPhones. Based on the ground-breaking flash game by Ninja Kiwi, but completely rebuilt and optimized for iOS, SAS 3 has been battle hardened by millions of plays and undergone extensive tuning and balancing to create the best action shooter available on the App Store! Killer Features: - Intense zombie-blasting action shooter gameplay! - Eviscerate the zombie hordes in single player or in 4 player co-op multiplayer - 50 Ranks to unlock, each granting access to a new weapon or perk - 44 devastating weapons like Auto Shotguns, Browning Machine Guns, Flamethrowers, and RPGs - 2 Sentry gun classes and 3 grenade types for serious room clearing - 5 challenging maps, each with very different hazards and kill zones - 9 relentless zombie types, with graphics that support hundreds on screen - 3 vicious game modes - Onslaught, Purge, and Apocalypse - Multiplayer play from anywhere in the world, whether on iPad, iPhone, or other smartphone platforms Updated Login System helps prevent data loss, and assists support in recovery. Please do not try to use your Ninja Kiwi web login - this is a separate system, so you'll need to create a separate login.

About

Dead Zed

Defend your base against relentless zombie hordes in this action-packed shooter. Unlock and upgrade a variety of weapons, from handguns to sniper rifles, to build your ultimate arsenal. Progress through diverse, increasingly dangerous locations as you fight for survival.

Highlights
  • Zombie shooting gameplay
  • Base defense mechanics
  • Weapon unlocking and upgrades
  • Multiple weapon types
  • Progression through new locations
  • Horde survival challenges
Features
Read full description

Shoot down zombies and defend your base in this action-packed shooter based off the hit online game with MILLIONS of plays. The dead are coming back to life… monsters, driven by hunger… It’s time to sharpen your shooting skills as you fight to survive horde after horde of zombie attacks. CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON You wouldn’t go walking into the zombie apocalypse empty handed! Unlock and upgrade a range of weapons, including handguns, machine guns, crossbows, sniper rifles and more! Build the ultimate arsenal of weaponry that any true survivor of the apocalypse should have. In each round you can bring up to two weapons. Choose wisely! UNLOCK NEW LOCATIONS Nowhere is safe! Complete each location and move onto new ones as you search for a safe haven. Start in the once-peaceful suburbs and move onto new locations including eerie farms, an abandoned city, an industrial neighborhood and beyond! At each location you must protect your base from being infiltrated by zombies. FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL Surviving the zombie apocalypse won’t be easy. Have you got what it takes to defeat the zombie hordes? Download now and find out!

Screenshots

SAS4 screens
Dead Zed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dead Zed at 4.6 against SAS's 4.1. SAS's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. SAS sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Dead Zed sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dead Zed holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4K and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of SAS's written reviews are positive against 71% of Dead Zed's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SAS ships an update monthly, Dead Zed every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SAS versus Dead Zed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSASDead Zed
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (1.4K ratings)4.6 (3.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews70.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4K3.6K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS6.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB385 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperNinja Kiwi LimitedNot Doppler

Customer experience

SAS

All ratings1,354 ratings
Positive77.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral12.5%
Negative22.8%

Dead Zed

All ratings3,559 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews308 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral13.0%
Negative16.2%

User reviews

SAS

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🎯 Challenging and addictive
  • 👍 Nostalgic childhood game
  • 🕹️ Fun co-op experience

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Servers no longer functional
  • 📥 Unable to download maps
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 💰 In-app purchases issues

Dead Zed

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great gameplay
  • 👍 Nostalgic and fun
  • 🚀 Smooth controls
  • 👍 Good graphics
  • 🚀 Lots of guns and upgrades

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 Repetitive gameplay
  • 💰 Monetization issues (too many ads, expensive in-app purchases)
  • 🔒 Lack of features from previous versions (survivors, looting, etc.)

Bugs and requests

SAS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to download maps
  • Crashes and disconnections
  • In-app purchases not working
  • Leaderboard and tournament issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Reopen the servers
  • Add new maps and content
  • Improve matchmaking and co-op
  • Optimize performance and stability

Dead Zed

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing issues with ads
  • Weapon accuracy and damage inconsistencies
  • Progression halted at certain levels

Requested features

5 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Weapon customization options
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Improved survivor/base management system
  • Ability to spend accumulated credits

In-app purchases

10 purchases

SAS

One-time10
  • Level Up!$0.99
  • Cold Hard Cash$0.99
  • PP19 Bizon$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Promotional Goods Package $0.99$0.99
  • 0.50 Beowulf$1.99
  • Promotional Goods Package $1.99$1.99
  • M2-2 Flamethrower$2.99
  • M2 Browning$2.99
  • M41-A Grendel$3.99
  • JKH Industries CAW$4.99
10 purchases

Dead Zed

One-time10
  • Small Coinz Pack$1.99
  • Starter Pack Offer$2.99
  • Medium Coinz Pack$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Medium Gold Pack$4.99
  • Starter Pack Offer$4.99
  • Large Coinz Pack$9.99
  • Large Gold Pack$9.99
  • Limited Time Offer$9.99
  • Ultimate Coinz Pack$19.99
  • Ultimate Gold Pack$19.99

Questions

Is SAS free?
SAS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dead Zed free?
Dead Zed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SAS or Dead Zed?
Dead Zed is rated higher. SAS averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Dead Zed averages 4.6 from 3.6K ratings.
Do SAS or Dead Zed have ads?
Dead Zed shows ads; SAS does not.
Which is updated more often, SAS or Dead Zed?
SAS ships an update monthly, and Dead Zed every 3 months. Most recently, SAS was updated on November 11, 2026 and Dead Zed on November 6, 2026.

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