Comparison

Balatro vs TownsFolk

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

Head to head
About

Balatro

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
Read full description

Welcome to the official Balatro mobile game! Hypnotic and endlessly satisfying, Balatro is a magical mix of card games like Solitaire and Poker, that lets you twist the rules in ways never seen before! Your goal is to beat the Boss Blinds by making strong poker hands. Find new Jokers that change the game and create awesome and exciting combos! Win enough chips to beat tricky bosses, and find hidden bonus hands and decks as you play. You’ll need all the help you can get to beat the big boss, win the final challenge, and win the game. Features: * Remastered controls for touch screen devices. * Each run is different: every pick-up, discard and joker can dramatically alter the course of your run. * Multiple game items: discover over 150 Jokers, each with special powers. Use them with different decks,upgrade cards and vouchers to boost your scores. * Different Game modes: Campaign mode and challenge mode for you to play. * Beautiful Pixel Art: Immerse yourself in the CRT fuzz and enjoy detailed, hand-crafted pixel art.

About

TownsFolk

Lead settlers to build and expand a thriving colony in a mysterious and dangerous world. Manage resources, make critical decisions, and overcome challenges to ensure your settlement's survival. Explore the unknown, face disasters, and appease a demanding king.

Highlights
  • Build and expand settlements
  • Explore unknown territories
  • Survive challenges and disasters
  • Roguelite strategy gameplay
  • Skirmish and puzzle modes
  • Handcrafted pixel art visuals
  • Weekly challenge mode
Features
Read full description

TownsFolk – Build. Survive. Explore. Lead a group of settlers into the unknown and build a thriving colony in a world full of mystery and danger. Manage scarce resources, make tough choices, and face the unpredictable frontier. Will your town prosper or fall? Lead, Expand, Survive: • Build & Expand – Grow your village by managing Food, Gold, Faith, and Production. • Explore the Unknown – Clear the fog, discover treasures, and uncover dangers. • Survive Challenges – Overcome disasters, wild animals, and moral dilemmas. • Appease the King – Deliver tribute, or risk your colony’s fate. Game Features: ▪ Roguelite Strategy – New challenges every playthrough. ▪ Skirmish Mode – Test survival skills in standalone scenarios. ▪ Puzzle Challenges – Solve strategic puzzles for rewards. ▪ Pixel Art World – Handcrafted visuals & atmospheric music. ▪ Deep, Minimalist Gameplay – Easy to start, challenging to master. ▪ Weekly Challenge Mode – A new scenario every week with leaderboards. ▪ Factions – 5 unique Factions, each with their own strengths, stories, and playstyles. Can you build a settlement that withstands the test of time? Download TownsFolk today! Play for Free – Upgrade Anytime TownsFolk lets you jump in for free! Enjoy the How to Play missions, test your skills in Puzzle Missions, and try out Skirmish Mode with a fixed setup. Want more? A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full Campaign and lets you customize settings in Skirmish Mode for endless replayability.

Screenshots

Balatro4 screens
TownsFolk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TownsFolk at Free against Balatro's $9.99. TownsFolk also leads on device support (5 vs 3). Balatro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (108K vs 3.3K). On update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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

TownsFolk is free to download; Balatro costs $9.99 up front. TownsFolk sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Balatro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Balatro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balatro has 108K ratings behind it against 3.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Balatro's written reviews are positive against 73% of TownsFolk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, TownsFolk every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Balatro versus TownsFolk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBalatroTownsFolk
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (108K ratings) — better4.7 (3.3K ratings)
Positive reviews81.0% of reviews — better73.0% of reviews
Number of ratings108K — better3.3K
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB256 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPlaystack LtdShort Circuit Studio

Customer experience

Balatro

All ratings107,874 ratings
Positive99.2%
Neutral0.3%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews1,885 reviews
Positive81.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative13.7%

TownsFolk

All ratings3,260 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews651 reviews
Positive73.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative18.4%

User reviews

Balatro

From 108K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

TownsFolk

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun game
  • 👍 Solid tutorial
  • 👍 Portrait mode
  • 👍 Great city sim game
  • 👍 Interesting mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and freezes
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 💰 Requires payment after tutorial
  • 🔍 Needs better balancing
  • 🔍 Needs deeper gameplay

Bugs and requests

Balatro

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

3 requests
  • Cloud save sync across devices
  • Portrait mode option
  • Customizable UI and accessibility settings

TownsFolk

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tutorial freezes the game
  • Can't build anything and days don't progress
  • Save data reverts or gets corrupted

Requested features

2 requests
  • Creative/easy mode to keep progress
  • Leaderboards and daily challenges

In-app purchases

None

Balatro

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

TownsFolk

One-time2
  • Shadow of Empires bundle$2.99
  • TownsFolk: A new world$8.99

Questions

Is Balatro free?
Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TownsFolk free?
TownsFolk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Balatro or TownsFolk?
Balatro is rated higher. Balatro averages 5.0 out of 5 from 108K ratings, while TownsFolk averages 4.7 from 3.3K ratings.
Do Balatro or TownsFolk have ads?
Neither Balatro nor TownsFolk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Balatro or TownsFolk?
Balatro ships an update every 8 days, and TownsFolk every 2 weeks. Most recently, Balatro was updated on October 30, 2026 and TownsFolk on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons