# Hearthstone vs Card Guardians

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Card Guardians at 76% against Hearthstone's 36%. Card Guardians also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1). Hearthstone's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (122K vs 3.1K). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hearthstone sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Card Guardians sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Card Guardians holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hearthstone has 122K ratings behind it against 3.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Hearthstone's written reviews are positive against 76% of Card Guardians's.

Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, Card Guardians every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hearthstone | Card Guardians |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (122K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthstone/id625257520/reviews) | **[4.6 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-guardians-deck-builder/id1566663161/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **122K** | 3.1K |
| Positive reviews | 35.9% of reviews | **75.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#45** | — |
| Size | 855 MB | 418 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/306862900) | [Tapps Games - Jogos Eletronicos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1532941330) |

## What reviewers say

### Hearthstone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthstone/id625257520)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Grossing · Card, #57 Top Grossing · Strategy, #200 Top Free · Strategy, #204 Top Free · Card (US App Store)

Engage in a strategic card battle game where you collect powerful cards, build custom decks, and outwit opponents. Explore various game modes, from competitive PvP to solo adventures, all within the iconic Warcraft universe.

**Highlights:** Collectible battle cards, Deck building and customization, Strategic card battles, Multiple game modes (Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds), PvP and PvE challenges, Warcraft universe integration

**In-app purchases (21)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Arena Admission | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 2 Classic Packs | $2.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle of 10 Classic Packs + Classic Legendary Card | $4.99 | one-time |
| 500 Runestones | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hero Skin | $6.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 7 Grand Tournament Packs | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 7 Classic Packs | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 7 "Whispers of the Old Gods" Packs | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hero Skin Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Packs Bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| BG Season Pass | $14.99 | one-time |
| Tavern Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| BG Season Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 15 Classic Packs | $19.99 | one-time |
| Bundle: All 4 League of Explorers Wings | $19.99 | one-time |
| Packs Bundle | $24.99 | one-time |
| Packs Bundle | $39.99 | one-time |
| Bundle of 40 Classic Packs | $49.99 | one-time |
| Packs Bundle | $59.99 | one-time |
| Hero Skin Bundle | $89.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 🎨 Stunning visuals and animations
- 🕹️ Engaging strategic gameplay
- 🎁 Generous free-to-play model
- 🕰️ Endless replayability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive to stay competitive
- 🔁 Repetitive meta decks
- 🎲 Excessive RNG elements
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕰️ Slow progression for free players

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes during gameplay
- Connectivity issues after updates
- Reward system not working as intended
- Unresponsive UI on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Improved matchmaking system
- More cooperative game modes
- Ability to trade or disenchant unwanted cards
- Reduced cost of new expansions
- Faster gold/dust earning for free players


### Card Guardians

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-guardians-deck-builder/id1566663161)

Embark on a roguelike adventure to save a fantasy world by building a powerful deck of cards. Engage in strategic CCG battles against monsters and powerful bosses, exploring diverse realms and uncovering an epic story.

**Highlights:** Deck building with collectible cards, Strategic CCG battles, Roguelike adventure gameplay, Hero selection and RPG strategy, Explore diverse realms, Boss battles

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eden Valley Store Chest | $0.99 | one-time |
| Some Crystals (160) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Crystals (500) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Base Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Card Guardians - Growth Fund | $6.99 | one-time |
| Gift Of Abundance | $6.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Crystals (1200) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Full Blessing | $9.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (M) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Crate of Crystals (2500) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (L) | $19.99 | one-time |
| CG - Growth Fund+ | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chapter Bundle - High Castle | $19.99 | one-time |
| Daily Bundle 4 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Crystals (6500) | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Fun gameplay
- 🕹️ Engaging card mechanics
- 🎨 Charming art style
- 🔓 Fair free-to-play model
- 💰 Good value for paid version

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy
- 🎲 Lack of deck customization
- 🧠 Imbalanced difficulty
- 💰 Excessive microtransactions

**Reported bugs**

- Gear drops not matching the active character
- Inconsistent behavior of status effects
- Infinite loading screens and progression blockers

**Requested features**

- Ability to sell/recycle unwanted equipment
- More character classes and deck variety
- Longer and more replayable adventures
- Better randomization and less RNG dependence
- Quality of life improvements (claim all, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hearthstone free?

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

### Is Card Guardians free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hearthstone or Card Guardians?

Card Guardians is rated higher. Hearthstone averages 4.1 out of 5 from 122K ratings, while Card Guardians averages 4.6 from 3.1K ratings.

### Do Hearthstone or Card Guardians have ads?

Card Guardians shows ads; Hearthstone does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hearthstone or Card Guardians?

Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, and Card Guardians every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hearthstone was updated on September 25, 2026 and Card Guardians on September 24, 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.*