# Loop Hero vs Balatro

The clearest difference is price: Loop Hero at Free against Balatro's $9.99. Balatro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (105K vs 3.9K). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Loop Hero is free to download; Balatro costs $9.99 up front. Loop Hero sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Balatro asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Loop Hero against 5.0 for Balatro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balatro has 105K ratings behind it against 3.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Loop Hero's written reviews are positive against 81% of Balatro's.

Loop Hero ships an update every 10 days, Balatro every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Loop Hero | Balatro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loop-hero/id6464048549/reviews) | **[5.0 (105K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K | **105K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.1% of reviews | **81.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#2** |
| Size | 213 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) | [Playstack Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1133080356) |

## What reviewers say

### Loop Hero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loop-hero/id6464048549)

Embark on a roguelike RPG adventure where you strategically place cards to create enemy encounters, buildings, and terrain. Equip your hero with powerful loot, expand your camp, and unlock new classes and cards to break an endless cycle of despair and save a forgotten world.

**Highlights:** Randomly generated expedition loops, Strategic card placement for trials, Loot collection for hero progression, Camp expansion and reconstruction, Unlockable classes and cards, Retro pixel art dark fantasy story

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Game | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent mechanics
- 👍 Great replayability
- 👍 Charming graphics
- 👍 Unique and enjoyable experience
- 👍 Smooth gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sound doesn't work
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Unresponsive after certain actions
- 🐛 Difficulty reading small text
- 🐛 Accidental card placement

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes after defeating first boss
- Unplayable after initial progress
- Inability to progress past trial version

**Requested features**

- Portrait mode
- More classes/build diversity
- Improved UI/overlay customization
- Chinese language support


### Balatro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Paid · Card, #4 Top Paid · Strategy, #8 Top Paid · Games, #13 Top Paid, #108 Top Grossing · Card, #159 Top Grossing · Strategy (US App Store)

This game blends poker and solitaire mechanics with unique rule-bending twists. Build powerful poker hands, discover game-changing Joker cards, and create exciting combos to defeat challenging Boss Blinds. Explore different decks and game modes for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Poker and Solitaire hybrid gameplay, Rule-bending mechanics, Collect over 150 unique Joker cards, Create powerful combos, Campaign and challenge modes, Pixel art visuals

**Features:** Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Unique and compelling mechanics
- 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
- 🎨 Charming pixel art and music
- 💰 Great value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and save issues
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements
- 🔋 Battery draining
- 🔇 No background music support

**Reported bugs**

- Unlocks and achievements not registering properly
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Joker and card interactions not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Cloud save sync across devices
- Portrait mode option
- Customizable UI and accessibility settings


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Loop Hero free?

Loop Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Balatro free?

Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Loop Hero or Balatro?

Balatro is rated higher. Loop Hero averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Balatro averages 5.0 from 105K ratings.

### Do Loop Hero or Balatro have ads?

Neither Loop Hero nor Balatro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Loop Hero or Balatro?

Loop Hero ships an update every 10 days, and Balatro every 5 days. Most recently, Loop Hero was updated on September 25, 2026 and Balatro 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.*