Comparison

simpleBuildFun vs Gridlock

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

Head to head
About

simpleBuildFun

Engage in a simulation game focused on learning basic economic principles. Test your business acumen and see how much wealth you can accumulate through strategic gameplay.

Highlights
  • Learn simple economics
  • Wealth accumulation gameplay
  • Simulation mechanics
  • Educational focus
  • Engaging gameplay
Features
Read full description

SimpleBuild is back — completely rebuilt with a modern new design, smoother gameplay, and an improved home-building experience. Start small and build your way up. Construct your home, make upgrades, improve your property, and watch your house visually transform as you progress. Every upgrade matters. Your home changes in appearance as it grows, with new designs, colors, features, and animated improvements that make your progress easy to see. But owning a home takes work. Over time, your property can deteriorate and require attention. Keep building, maintaining, repairing, and improving your home to protect everything you've created.

About

Gridlock

This idle tycoon game lets you create traffic jams by hiring chaotic drivers and vehicles. Watch the streets fill up as you earn Notoriety to unlock permanent perks and new vehicles. Compete on leaderboards and complete daily challenges.

Highlights
  • Cause traffic jams by hiring drivers
  • Idle gameplay, progress continues offline
  • Unlock new vehicles and horns
  • Permanent perks via Notoriety
  • Daily challenges and leaderboards
  • Upgrade your traffic-causing abilities
Features
Read full description

Most traffic games ask you to fix the jam. Gridlock asks you to cause it. Gridlock is an idle traffic tycoon: tap to honk, hire the worst drivers in the city, and watch the street fill up until it's bumper to bumper and every brake light is glowing. Your jam keeps growing even while you're away. HIRE THE GRIDLOCK • Confused Tourists checking the GPS mid-lane • Double-Parked Delivery Trucks with the hazards on ("just two minutes") • Fender Benders: nobody's hurt, everybody's filming • Pothole Repair Crews: one guy working, four watching • Rubbernecker Convoys, School Buses and full Parades • The Presidential Motorcade, which shuts down the whole city Everything you hire shows up on the street. The more you own, the tighter the jam. GET ADDICTED TO THE JAM • Milestones double a crew's output at 10, 25, 50, 100 and beyond • Road Rage: tap fast enough and every honk is worth 5× • The Lucky Cab: catch the gold taxi for a jackpot or a traffic frenzy • Dozens of upgrades, from Louder Horn to Global Gridlock • Keeps jamming while you're away END RUSH HOUR When your jam peaks, end Rush Hour. The streets clear, but you earn Notoriety. Spend it on permanent perks: start with a fleet already on the road, triple your horn, summon more Lucky Cabs, keep jamming through the night. NEW GOALS EVERY DAY Three fresh daily challenges, a daily toll streak, and Game Center leaderboards to prove you're the most notorious driver in town. DRIVE IN STYLE Earn a Tow Truck, an Ice Cream Truck and a Stretch Limo by playing, or pick up a Motorcycle, School Bus, Monster Truck or Ambulance. Each one has its own horn and tap animation. No account needed. Progress syncs with iCloud.

Screenshots

simpleBuildFun4 screens
Gridlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: simpleBuildFun at none against Gridlock's 10. simpleBuildFun also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). Gridlock's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support 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. Gridlock sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. simpleBuildFun asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for simpleBuildFun against 5.0 for Gridlock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of simpleBuildFun's written reviews are positive against 100% of Gridlock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

simpleBuildFun ships an update every 2 days, Gridlock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
simpleBuildFun versus Gridlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametersimpleBuildFunGridlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYOURFULLSTACK, LLCBRAXTON REED CHANDLER

Customer experience

simpleBuildFun

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Gridlock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

simpleBuildFun

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Gridlock

One-time10
  • Traffic Crate$0.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • Motorcycle Wheelie$1.99
Show 7 more
  • School Bus$1.99
  • Monster Truck$2.99
  • Ambulance$2.99
  • Mega Traffic Crate$2.99
  • VIP: No Ads$3.99
  • Vehicle Pack$5.99
  • Traffic Truckload$9.99

Questions

Is simpleBuildFun free?
simpleBuildFun is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gridlock free?
Gridlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, simpleBuildFun or Gridlock?
simpleBuildFun and Gridlock are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do simpleBuildFun or Gridlock have ads?
Gridlock shows ads; simpleBuildFun does not.
Which is updated more often, simpleBuildFun or Gridlock?
simpleBuildFun ships an update every 2 days, and Gridlock every 2 weeks. Most recently, simpleBuildFun was updated on November 3, 2026 and Gridlock on November 6, 2026.

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