# King Smith vs Ethos Idle

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: King Smith at 12.0 against Ethos Idle's 15.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. King Smith sells 26 one-off in-app purchases and Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for King Smith against 4.8 for Ethos Idle. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 255 and 241 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of King Smith's written reviews are positive against 84% of Ethos Idle's.

King Smith ships an update fortnightly, Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | King Smith | Ethos Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (255 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/king-smith-forgemaster-quest/id6479631522/reviews) | **[4.8 (241 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **255** | 241 |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 164 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Indie Cat Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1756643769) | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) |

## What reviewers say

### King Smith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/king-smith-forgemaster-quest/id6479631522)

Embark on a heroic quest to save the kingdom from monster attacks. Manage a forge, craft powerful weapons, and assemble a party of heroes to defeat enemies and rescue villagers. Discover hidden blueprints and forge legendary weapons to operate a giant golem and vanquish the ultimate evil.

**Highlights:** Manage a forge and craft weapons, Collect blueprints for powerful items, Operate a golem with crafted swords, Assemble a party of heroes, Battle monsters and collect materials, Rescue captive villagers, Explore for hidden legendary weapon blueprints

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (26)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Event Item 01 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Daily Deals01 | $0.99 | one-time |
| weekly pack1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Season Event Package 01 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter | $2.99 | one-time |
| Gem Touch | $2.99 | one-time |
| Event Item 02 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Advanced | $4.99 | one-time |
| Daily Deals02 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pouch | $4.99 | one-time |
| Weekend Event Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| weekly pack3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Advanced | $9.99 | one-time |
| Food Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| weekly pack2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Main Event Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Video Ad Removal Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| Event Item 03 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem Box | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem Cart | $19.99 | one-time |
| Rune Package | $29.99 | one-time |
| Premium Contract Package | $29.99 | one-time |
| Homun Package | $29.99 | one-time |
| Gem Warehouse | $49.99 | one-time |
| Gem Mine | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Addictive and fun gameplay
- 👍 Cute and well-made graphics
- 🎁 Free gems and content
- 🎨 Crafting and customization options
- 🔍 Engaging progression and challenges

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚧 Unskippable banner ads
- 🐛 In-app purchases not working
- 🔍 Lack of clear direction after tutorial

**Reported bugs**

- Ads freezing and preventing gameplay
- Save data being reverted or deleted

**Requested features**

- Comprehensive hero stat list
- Improved save system to prevent data loss


### Ethos Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942)

Guide humanity's progress from its earliest discoveries to the distant future. Manage your tribe's choices, develop over 200 unique ideas, and explore the world. Advance your civilization, unlock bonuses, and enjoy a single-player, offline experience with optional ads.

**Highlights:** Develop over 200 historic ideas, Explore and exploit the world, Manage tribe choices, Unlock exploration bonuses and synergies, Prestige mechanic upgrades, Customizable challenge scenarios, Offline single-player experience

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| x2 Speed | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast progression
- 👍 Minimal ad interruption
- 👍 Simple and enjoyable design
- 👍 Great for relaxing and watching numbers go up
- 👍 Excellent incremental game design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Slower progression speed desired
- 🛒 IAP for 2x production doesn't eliminate video ads

**Reported bugs**

- RNG for challenges is unfair and unfun
- Unlocking buffs for inaccessible technologies

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads entirely
- Clarification on prestige warp gain multipliers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is King Smith free?

King Smith is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, King Smith or Ethos Idle?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. King Smith averages 4.7 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Ethos Idle averages 4.8 from 241 ratings.

### Do King Smith or Ethos Idle have ads?

Both King Smith and Ethos Idle show ads.

### Which is updated more often, King Smith or Ethos Idle?

King Smith ships an update fortnightly, and Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. Most recently, King Smith was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ethos Idle on October 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.*