# Mining Empire vs Dam Builder 3D

Mining Empire and Dam Builder 3D both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of Dam Builder 3D's written reviews are positive against 49% of Mining Empire's. Dam Builder 3D also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 2.3K). Mining Empire's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mining Empire sells 19 one-off in-app purchases and Dam Builder 3D sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Dam Builder 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.3K and 10K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Mining Empire's written reviews are positive against 64% of Dam Builder 3D's.

Mining Empire ships an update every 3 weeks, Dam Builder 3D every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mining Empire | Dam Builder 3D |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mining-empire-get-idle-gold/id6443466892/reviews) | **[4.8 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dam-builder-3d/id6477145747/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K | **10K** |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews | **64.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 267 MB | 209 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FLY FLO GAMES YAZILIM TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684216456) | [Solid Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625798412) |

## What reviewers say

### Mining Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mining-empire-get-idle-gold/id6443466892)

Become a mining tycoon by digging for gold and precious stones. Hire workers and managers to automate your operations, upgrade mines, and expand your empire across new islands. Manage your workflow efficiently to maximize profits and become the richest boss.

**Highlights:** Build and upgrade mines, Hire and manage workers and managers, Expand empire to new islands, Develop employee skills, Automate resource collection, Increase income and profits

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (19)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Legendary offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Cash pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Start pack ticket | $1.99 | one-time |
| Daily Cash over the Air | $3.99 | one-time |
| Idle Coins X2 forever | $4.99 | one-time |
| Cash Harvesting | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ordinary Cash pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coins X2 forever | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small pack ticket | $4.99 | one-time |
| All Income X2 forever | $6.99 | one-time |
| Medium Cash pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Offer! | $9.99 | one-time |
| Training pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Accelerator pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| No ads basic | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium pack ticket | $9.99 | one-time |
| Daily VIP delivery | $10.99 | one-time |
| Large Cash pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Enormous Cash pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good game concept
- 🚀 Enjoyable gameplay
- 💡 Interesting mine progression

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔥 Excessive ads and monetization
- 🔒 Unreliable in-app purchases
- 🔧 Lack of instructions and guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Mines resetting to level 1
- Inability to access certain features
- Progression-blocking glitches

**Requested features**

- Reduce ad frequency
- Improve in-app purchase reliability
- Add more tutorials and guides


### Dam Builder 3D

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dam-builder-3d/id6477145747)

Build and expand a dam in this idle simulation game. Earn profits by releasing water and upgrade your dam. Unlock a fishing fleet to catch and sell fish for even more rewards.

**Highlights:** Construct and expand dams, Release water for profit, Upgrade dam sections, Unlock upstream dock, Operate a fishing boat, Expand fishing fleet

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AD ticket (Small) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| AD ticket (Mid) | $1.99 | one-time |
| AD ticket (Big) | $3.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Lite | $4.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove force ad 7 days | $4.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Package (Small) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Season premium | $6.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Plus | $9.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Remove force ad forever | $9.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Package (Big) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 5 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 6 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 💰 Ability to make money
- 🎨 Great graphics
- 🕹️ Challenging and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Excessive ads
- ⏱️ Long ad durations
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Ads not working as intended
- Game freezing or crashing
- Issues with in-app purchases

**Requested features**

- More maps and levels
- Reduced ad frequency
- Shorter ad durations
- Improved water physics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mining Empire free?

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

### Is Dam Builder 3D free?

Dam Builder 3D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mining Empire or Dam Builder 3D?

Dam Builder 3D is rated higher. Mining Empire averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Dam Builder 3D averages 4.8 from 10K ratings.

### Do Mining Empire or Dam Builder 3D have ads?

Both Mining Empire and Dam Builder 3D show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mining Empire or Dam Builder 3D?

Mining Empire ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dam Builder 3D every 2 months. Most recently, Mining Empire was updated on October 30, 2026 and Dam Builder 3D on November 1, 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.*