# Idle Elements vs Number Drag

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Elements at none against Number Drag's 5. Idle Elements also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Number Drag sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Elements asks for nothing beyond the download.

Idle Elements ships an update daily, Number Drag monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Elements | Number Drag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-elements/id6502619739/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 96 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nigmatic Sound LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451103347) | [帅 袁](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447999590) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Elements

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-elements/id6502619739)

Merge crystals by matching three or more to generate increasingly large numbers. Manage your elements carefully to avoid negative consequences as you play.

**Highlights:** Match 3 crystal merging, Idle gameplay mechanics, Number generation, Element management, Strategic gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Number Drag

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-drag-merge-2048-rush/id6698873060)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 500 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1200 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 3000 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 8000 | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Elements free?

Idle Elements is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Number Drag free?

Number Drag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Idle Elements or Number Drag have ads?

Both Idle Elements and Number Drag show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Elements or Number Drag?

Idle Elements ships an update daily, and Number Drag monthly. Most recently, Idle Elements was updated on October 30, 2026 and Number Drag on October 27, 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.*