# Idle Light Bulb vs Garbage Collectors

Idle Light Bulb and Garbage Collectors both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Idle Light Bulb's written reviews are positive against 50% of Garbage Collectors's. Garbage Collectors's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Light Bulb sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Garbage Collectors sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Idle Light Bulb against 4.7 for Garbage Collectors. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.3K and 7.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Idle Light Bulb's written reviews are positive against 50% of Garbage Collectors's.

Idle Light Bulb ships an update every 3 months, Garbage Collectors every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Light Bulb | Garbage Collectors |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-light-bulb/id6449452892/reviews)** | [4.7 (7.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garbage-collectors/id6478277090/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.3K | **7.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **81.5% of reviews** | 49.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 221 MB | 502 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Solid Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625798412) | [tatsumaki games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610305063) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Light Bulb

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-light-bulb/id6449452892)

Build and manage a light bulb production empire. Start with a single line, upgrade efficiency, and expand your operations. Hire managers to automate and grow your business into the world's largest.

**Highlights:** Produce light bulbs, Upgrade production lines, Transport and sell bulbs, Hire administrators, Expand company operations, Become a bulbs tycoon

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diamond Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Lite | $3.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Plus | $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 game
- 💡 Unique concept with light bulbs
- 🚀 Fast progression for new players
- 🤩 Enjoyable gameplay experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive ads and pop-ups
- 🐛 Offline earnings not always credited
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to scroll up and purchase new lines
- Bulb upgrades not allowing players to sell
- Inconsistent performance and crashes

**Requested features**

- Improve offline earnings tracking
- Reduce frequency of ads
- Add more levels and content
- Implement save/restore progress feature


### Garbage Collectors

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garbage-collectors/id6478277090)

Embark on a mission to clean up a polluted island by collecting trash. Recruit helpful dwarfs to assist in your efforts and restore the island's natural beauty. Can you transform the island back to its green state?

**Highlights:** Island cleanup simulation, Collect illegal dumping, Recruit dwarf helpers, Restore island greenery, Cooperative gameplay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TimeLimit SpeedUp (Great Deal) | $0.49 | one-time |
| One Day No Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cashier | $1.49 | one-time |
| Goldie Robo Skin | $2.49 | one-time |
| No Ads | $2.49 | one-time |
| No Ads + Speed Up (Great deal) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Infinity Speed Up | $7.99 | one-time |
| Gem 90 | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads + Speed Up | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem 200 | $20.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Potential
- 👍 Fun game
- 🌳 Very green

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches
- 💰 Too many ads
- 🔋 Heats up phone and drains battery

**Reported bugs**

- Inaccessible trash on certain levels
- Minions getting stuck and unable to complete levels
- Upgrades resetting between levels
- Inability to finish levels due to glitched items

**Requested features**

- More levels
- Option to turn off vacuums
- Option to purchase ad-free version
- Different scenery/backgrounds
- More upgrades and progression


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Light Bulb free?

Idle Light Bulb is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Garbage Collectors free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Idle Light Bulb or Garbage Collectors?

Idle Light Bulb is rated higher. Idle Light Bulb averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Garbage Collectors averages 4.7 from 7.5K ratings.

### Do Idle Light Bulb or Garbage Collectors have ads?

Both Idle Light Bulb and Garbage Collectors show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Light Bulb or Garbage Collectors?

Idle Light Bulb ships an update every 3 months, and Garbage Collectors every 2 months. Most recently, Idle Light Bulb was updated on November 7, 2026 and Garbage Collectors on November 9, 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.*