# Summoner Wars Online vs Gudnak Deck Builder

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gudnak Deck Builder at none against Summoner Wars Online's 33. Gudnak Deck Builder also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). Summoner Wars Online's advantage is ratings volume (112 vs 4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Summoner Wars Online sells 33 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Gudnak Deck Builder asks for nothing beyond the download.

Gudnak Deck Builder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Summoner Wars Online has 112 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Summoner Wars Online's written reviews are positive against 100% of Gudnak Deck Builder's.

Summoner Wars Online ships an update every 3 weeks, Gudnak Deck Builder every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Summoner Wars Online | Gudnak Deck Builder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (112 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/summoner-wars-online/id6460980567/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gudnak-deck-builder/id6738632580/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **112** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 77.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 251 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Plaid Hat Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1702237055) | [Peter Davids](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605500148) |

## What reviewers say

### Summoner Wars Online

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/summoner-wars-online/id6460980567)

Engage in strategic fantasy battlefield combat by summoning units and outmaneuvering opponents. Build custom decks with countless unit types and spells to challenge players online or play through single-player campaigns.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer matches, Custom deck builder, Single-player story campaigns, AI opponent challenges, Summoning units, Fantasy battlefield combat

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

**In-app purchases (33)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Thornhold Drey Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Moonsteppe Wolves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Drakesun Rebellion | $3.99 | one-time |
| Guild Dwarves | $3.99 | one-time |
| Isle Vekkid Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Spectral Conclave | $3.99 | one-time |
| The Filth Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Chosen Grove Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Shimmersea Fae Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Wayfarers Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| The Forged Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Obsidian Dwarves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Vanguards Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Breakers Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Fungal Dwarves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Sand Goblins Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Eternal Council Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Skyspear Avians Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Swamp Orc Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crimson Order Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cave Goblins Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Phoenix Elves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Mountain Vargath Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Tundra Orcs Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Polar Dwarves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cloaks Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Savanna Elves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Kingdom Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Shadow Elves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| High Elves Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Deepwood Groaks Faction | $3.99 | one-time |
| Storm Goblins Faction | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ♟️ Deep tactical gameplay with chess-like strategy
- 🎨 Well-designed factions with unique playstyles
- ⚖️ Excellent faction balance and asymmetric design
- 🎮 Engaging asynchronous multiplayer gameplay
- 🆓 Free-to-play model with reasonable pricing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Menu navigation traps (can't exit shop/deck editor)
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 AI gets stuck during single-player games
- 🐛 Tutorial crashes before completion
- 🐛 Server connection losses

**Reported bugs**

- Menu navigation traps - unable to exit shop or deck editor without closing app
- Game crashes to main menu during gameplay
- Story mode crashes and deletes campaign progress
- Tutorial crashes before completion
- AI freezes and becomes unresponsive mid-game

**Requested features**

- Russian language translation
- Hard difficulty level for AI
- Difficulty scaling for single-player AI
- Ability to resign from matches
- Offline mode support


### Gudnak Deck Builder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gudnak-deck-builder/id6738632580)

A tactical card game set on a 3x3 grid. Players choose factions and heroes to siege opponent strongholds while defending their own. Features easy-to-learn rules with deep strategic gameplay.

**Highlights:** 3x3 grid tactical gameplay, Faction and hero selection, Siege and defense mechanics, Easy to learn rules, Deep strategic depth

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Summoner Wars Online free?

Summoner Wars Online is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Gudnak Deck Builder free?

Gudnak Deck Builder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Summoner Wars Online or Gudnak Deck Builder?

Gudnak Deck Builder is rated higher. Summoner Wars Online averages 4.7 out of 5 from 112 ratings, while Gudnak Deck Builder averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Summoner Wars Online or Gudnak Deck Builder have ads?

Neither Summoner Wars Online nor Gudnak Deck Builder shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Summoner Wars Online or Gudnak Deck Builder?

Summoner Wars Online ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gudnak Deck Builder every 2 days. Most recently, Summoner Wars Online was updated on September 17, 2026 and Gudnak Deck Builder on September 25, 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.*