Comparison

Alien Hive vs Swarm Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Alien Hive

This game blends match-3 and sliding tile puzzles to evolve aliens. Match tiles to hatch and evolve creatures, harvest resources, and build your ultimate alien hive. Strategically defeat villainous bots and uncover the planet's mysteries.

Highlights
  • Evolving-aliens puzzle gameplay
  • Hybrid match-3 and sliding tile puzzles
  • Match tiles to harvest resources
  • Hatch and evolve alien species
  • Defeat villainous Bots
  • BLITZ MODE for fast-action fun
  • Collect dozens of Supreme Aliens
Features
Read full description

- "Indie Showcase Top 10 Award & Best Art Award." - Casual Connect Asia 2013 - "Appxplore brings us yet another fun and addicting puzzle game that is unique to any other." - GameDynamo, EDITORS' CHOICE! - "Alien Hive looks and feels like the best puzzle game I’ve played in a very long time... It’s brilliant, addictive, and endlessly fun." - Arcade Sushi, 9/10 Stars! - "A extremely addictive and surprisingly original title in the overly-crowded match-three puzzle genre. It combines block swapping with monster-collection and breeding. Well worth your time and your IAP money!" - LittleAppPreview, Score: 9/10 - It's a winning combination, with an almost perfect relaxation-to-robot ratio - KOTAKU *Check out the BLITZ MODE Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUbjeXzooYk Alien Hive is all about evolving aliens, blending match-3 with sliding tile puzzles for a game that feels both familiar and fresh. Swipe tiles to make matches – combine eggs to hatch cute baby aliens, and then help them fully evolve into Supreme Aliens. Match resource tiles for upgrades that let you take command of the board, with the goal of building the ultimate alien hive. Strategically avoid the villainous Bots, who block your progress, by crafting power-ups to eliminate these baddies. As you advance, you will uncover the mystery of the hidden aliens… and tame the Red Planet! Alien Hive Features: * Evolving-aliens puzzle gameplay: hybrid of match-3 and sliding tile puzzles… it’s a whole new type of puzzling fun * Match tiles to harvest resources, grow new species of aliens and zap the villainous Bots * Chill out: pastel graphics and mellow soundtrack, with no time limit to harsh the vibe * Advance the alien society: collect and unleash dozens of Supreme Aliens * Additional Fast-Action Fun BLITZ MODE. * 70 Achievements to suit all styles of play * 14 Achievements for Blitz Mode * Auto save game progress * High Score and Achievements sharing on Facebook * Free to play universal app for iPad, iPhone * iCloud & Game Center Support * Over thousands of Power Boost combinations * Level up your Supreme Aliens If you face any technical issue on your device, appreciate if you can contact us prior to writing negative review. We will try to address the issue as soon as possible. For the latest news, updates, and events LIKE us on Facebook. Official http://www.appxplore.com Facebook http://www.facebook.com/appxplore Twitter http://twitter.com/appxplore

About

Swarm Simulator

Evolve your insect colony from simple larvae to powerful hive minds in this 3D incremental idle clicker game. Conquer territory, sacrifice units for growth, and ascend to unlock new mutations and expand your swarm across the universe.

Highlights
  • Incremental idle clicker gameplay
  • Endless progression and unit evolution
  • Idle mode for offline growth
  • Ascend system with new mutations
  • All-new 3D graphics and units
  • Elixir buffs and Golden Bug bonuses
Features
Read full description

Over 2 MILLION PLAYERS! Swarm Simulator: Evolution brings the strategic, incremental, idle, clicker gameplay of the wildly successful web game into a new 3D world with dozens of new systems and extra features! Evolve your way from lowly larvae and drones to all-powerful hive Overminds and beyond in this idle masterpiece! Conquer territory with fearsome Stingers and Locusts to become a tycoon of unit production. Sacrifice smaller units for the greater good of the colony and Ascend over and over as you build your Swarm toward its ultimate goal of universe spanning conquest! == Swarm Simulator Features == Idle Clicker Gameplay • Endless progression - start with a few lowly units, evolve and hatch your way to unimaginable numbers. • Idle mode - the game will keep progressing whether it's open or not, take a break for a few hours and your Swarm will grow and grow! • Ascend your Swarm to start over on a new world but with powerful new Mutations. Evolution Upgrades • All new 3D graphics and new units, dozens of 3D bugs in a fully 3D world. • Elixirs give short term buffs to your Swarm, use a Rage elixir to capture more territory ... or a Warper elixir to speed up time itself! • Golden Bugs can be captured to give long-term bonuses to your Swarm. • Swarm Lord Invasions, the HFL, Carapace Shards, unlockable skins for your bugs and more! The classic text-based incremental game has been reborn in vibrant 3D. Download Swarm Simulator now and conquer EVERYTHING!

Screenshots

Alien Hive4 screens
Swarm Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Swarm Simulator at every 9 days against Alien Hive's every 2 months. Swarm Simulator also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 189). Alien Hive's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 78%). On price, rating, ads 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. Alien Hive sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Swarm Simulator sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Alien Hive against 4.7 for Swarm Simulator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swarm Simulator has 2.7K ratings behind it against 189, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Alien Hive's written reviews are positive against 78% of Swarm Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Alien Hive ships an update every 2 months, Swarm Simulator every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Alien Hive versus Swarm Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlien HiveSwarm Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (189 ratings)4.7 (2.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.5% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1892.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size231 MB158 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperAppxplore (iCandy) Sdn. Bhd.Iron Horse Games LLC

Customer experience

Alien Hive

All ratings187 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews266 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.8%

Swarm Simulator

All ratings2,719 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.1%
Negative16.6%

User reviews

Alien Hive

From 189 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Unique and fun gameplay
  • 😊 Relaxing and addictive
  • 🎨 Cute and creative alien designs
  • 🕹️ Challenging and strategic

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Difficult to progress without in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Frustratingly slow progress
  • 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads

Swarm Simulator

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 💡 Unique incremental mechanics
  • 🔒 Minimal ads, not intrusive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches in recent updates
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

Bugs and requests

Alien Hive

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes after watching ads
  • Blitz mode score not increasing past 2.1 billion
  • Alien evolution progress resets after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • More difficulty levels or an easy mode
  • Ability to save progress and resume games
  • Expanded alien collection and evolution system
  • Option to pay for ad-free experience

Swarm Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Incorrect display of resources and upgrades
  • Issues with cloud save functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Offline mode
  • Customization options
  • Improved progression and endgame

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Alien Hive

One-time11
  • Pile of Gold$0.99
  • Energy Amplifier$1.99
  • Gold Booster$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Pack of Sparks$1.99
  • Core Wormhole$1.99
  • Bag of Gold$3.99
  • Stack of Sparks$3.99
  • Rack of Sparks$6.99
  • Sack of Gold$9.99
  • Box of Gold$19.99
  • Chest of Gold$49.99
11 purchases

Swarm Simulator

One-time11
  • Pouch of Crystals$4.99
  • Elixir Mega Pack$4.99
  • Swarm Supporter Pack$9.99
Show 8 more
  • Bag of Crystals$9.99
  • Crystalline King Pack$9.99
  • Arcane Amplifier Pack$9.99
  • Super Shards Pack$9.99
  • Challenge Crusher Pack$9.99
  • Barrel of Crystals$19.99
  • Elixir Ultra Pack$24.99
  • Storehouse of Crystals$49.99

Questions

Is Alien Hive free?
Alien Hive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swarm Simulator free?
Swarm Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Alien Hive or Swarm Simulator?
Swarm Simulator is rated higher. Alien Hive averages 4.6 out of 5 from 189 ratings, while Swarm Simulator averages 4.7 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Alien Hive or Swarm Simulator have ads?
Both Alien Hive and Swarm Simulator show ads.
Which is updated more often, Alien Hive or Swarm Simulator?
Alien Hive ships an update every 2 months, and Swarm Simulator every 9 days. Most recently, Alien Hive was updated on October 12, 2026 and Swarm Simulator on October 12, 2026.

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