Comparison

Above Zero vs Drop Merge

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

Head to head
About

Above Zero

A puzzle game where numbers decrease with each move. Clear lines before numbers hit zero to avoid penalties. Strategically use bonuses to achieve high scores.

Highlights
  • Number reduction mechanic
  • Line clearing objective
  • Penalty system for zero values
  • Bonus upgrades
  • High score collection
Features
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After each move, all numbers reduces by 1. Make sure to remove the line before any number on it reaches 0. Remove two lines in a row and block values ​​will increase. Get and upgrade various bonuses. Collect as many points as possible!

About

Drop Merge

Features
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Drop falling jewel groups onto a board, rotate them, line up same-number tiles, and merge them into bigger ones. Each chain doubles your score, and pulling off a 5+ chain fires a fullscreen explosion across the playfield. A hybrid drop-merge puzzle built around the catharsis of nailing a huge chain combo. [Features] ■ Chain combos take center stage Score multipliers grow with each link in a chain — 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, and 16x at 5+ chains. Big chains shake the screen and unleash a fullscreen fireworks burst. The moment your planned chain detonates is pure satisfaction. After a 5+ chain the next piece holds for a beat so you can savor the explosion. ■ Multi-jewel falling pieces (1–4) 2-jewel pairs, 3-jewel I and L trominoes, and seven different 4-jewel tetromino shapes — every drop is a fresh shape-and-rotation puzzle. Set your max simultaneous count (1–4) in Custom Rules. ■ Fluid controls Slide left/right while falling to choose your column. Tap to rotate 90° clockwise. Quick down-swipe = hard drop. Hold a downward drag = soft drop. Move at your own tempo. ■ Existing-jewel priority merge When a multi-jewel piece lands with a same-value match next to a tile already on the board, that existing tile wins the merge — your planned chains land exactly the way you imagined. ■ Per-jewel split landing When a multi-jewel piece lands across uneven columns, each jewel falls independently to its own resting cell — opening up shape-aware play. ■ 11 customizable rules Column count (4–8), simultaneous jewel max (1–4), Timer mode, Wild jewels, Preview count, Danger bonus, Auto-clear, Initial tile placement, and more. Mix and match — practice mode to hardcore, the difficulty is yours. ■ Wild jewels Every 10th jewel is a Wild that bonds with any number. Clutch your way out of tight boards or seed a massive chain. ■ Danger zone While the top 2 rows are stacked, every merge gets a 2x multiplier. Every move walks the tightrope between risk and reward. ■ 1024+ auto-clear Merging into 1024 or higher automatically clears the lowest tile on the board. Disable it with the "No auto-clear" rule if you prefer. ■ Pause support Tap the top-left pause button to freeze the game any time. Swap apps, get a notification, or pull down Control Center and the game auto-pauses. Resume right where you left off. ■ Seed replay Past runs are saved with their fixed seed. Replay the same tile sequence and try again. "Same luck, better choices" — measure your skill against your past self. ■ 15 languages Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesian. ■ Game Center leaderboards Compete worldwide on three boards: all-time best score, daily best, and longest chain. Sign in to Game Center to play (offline play is not supported). Local scores and run history also live on your device, included in your iCloud backup. [You'll like this if] - You love puzzles built on chain reactions - You enjoy score attacks and strategic depth - You want a quick game for commutes or breaks - You crave the catharsis of explosive chain effects Free, ad-supported. No in-app purchases or subscriptions.

Screenshots

Above Zero4 screens
Drop Merge2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Above Zero at 3 against Drop Merge's 1. Above Zero also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Above Zero versus Drop Merge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbove ZeroDrop Merge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Daily
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOksana VoloshynaTETO, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

In-app purchases

None

Above Zero

No in-app purchases

None

Drop Merge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Above Zero free?
Above Zero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drop Merge free?
Drop Merge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Above Zero or Drop Merge have ads?
Both Above Zero and Drop Merge show ads.

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