Comparison

DREDGE vs POOLS™

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

Head to head
About

DREDGE

Explore remote islands and their depths as a fishing trawler captain. Sell your catch, complete quests to uncover local secrets, and upgrade your boat. Beware of the dangers lurking in the dark.

Highlights
  • Explore remote islands and depths
  • Catch and sell diverse sea life
  • Complete quests to uncover secrets
  • Upgrade fishing boat and equipment
  • Survive nighttime dangers
  • Unravel a dark mystery
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

*TRY BEFORE YOU BUY* Play the first area for free. One-time purchase unlocks the base game. DLC expansions available as additional in-app purchases. Captain your fishing trawler to explore a collection of remote isles, and their surrounding depths, to see what lies below. Sell your catch to the locals and complete quests to learn more about each area’s troubled past. Outfit your boat with better equipment to trawl deep-sea trenches and navigate to far-off lands, but keep an eye on the time. You might not like what finds you in the dark... Explore the Islands & Discover their Secrets Starting from your new home in the remote archipelago, ‘The Marrows’, take to the water and scour the depths for curious collectables and over 125 deep sea denizens. Explore each area while completing quests and visiting neighboring island regions – each with their own unique opportunities, inhabitants, and secrets. Dredge the Depths Someone wants you to dig up the past, but can you trust them and will it ever be enough? Beware the Fog Danger is everywhere, so watch for sharp rocks and shallow reefs, though the biggest threats of all lurk within the fog that cloaks the night-time seas... Game Features: - Unravel a Mystery: Captain your fishing trawler across a collection of remote islands, each with its own inhabitants to meet, wildlife to discover, and stories to unearth. - Dredge the Depths: Scour the sea for hidden treasures and complete quests to gain access to strange new abilities - Study Your Craft: Research special equipment and upgrade your boat’s capabilities to gain access to rare fish and valuable deep-sea curios. - Fish to Survive: Sell your discoveries to the locals to learn more about each area, and upgrade your boat to reach even more secluded locations. - Fight the Unfathomable: Strengthen your mind and use your abilities to survive trips out on the water after dark.

About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

Screenshots

DREDGE4 screens
POOLS™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: POOLS™ at 79% against DREDGE's 60%. POOLS™ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3). DREDGE's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#188 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. DREDGE sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

POOLS™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of DREDGE's written reviews are positive against 79% of POOLS™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DREDGE ships an update every 3 weeks, POOLS™ every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
DREDGE versus POOLS™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDREDGEPOOLS™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (1.1K ratings)4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.9% of reviews79.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K1.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#188 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size785 MB1.9 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperBlack Salt GamesTensori

Customer experience

DREDGE

All ratings1,082 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative14.1%
Written reviews1,146 reviews
Positive59.9%
Neutral10.2%
Negative29.9%

POOLS™

All ratings1,616 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews626 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative14.2%

User reviews

DREDGE

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🚀 Excellent port to mobile
  • 🎮 Supports controllers
  • 🎨 Stunning graphics
  • 🕹️ Intuitive controls

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive for a mobile game
  • 🔍 Misleading 'free' description
  • 📱 Text/UI too small on phones
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🎮 Controller support needs improvement

POOLS™

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Immersive experience
  • 🔒 No ads
  • 👍 Incredible attention to detail
  • 👍 Realistic graphics and sound
  • 👍 Eerie and creepy atmosphere

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Boring after a while
  • 🐛 Lack of variety in environments

Bugs and requests

DREDGE

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Controller issues
  • Inventory/menu navigation problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Larger text and UI options
  • Cross-save between devices
  • More content and DLC
  • Minimap or navigation aids
  • Ability to walk around boat/town

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

In-app purchases

4 purchases

DREDGE

One-time4
  • Blackstone Key2 variants$0.99
  • The Pale Reach2 variants$5.99
  • The Iron Rig2 variants$11.99
Show 1 more
  • Base Game Unlock2 variants$24.99
1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99

Questions

Is DREDGE free?
DREDGE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DREDGE or POOLS™?
POOLS™ is rated higher. DREDGE averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while POOLS™ averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.
Do DREDGE or POOLS™ have ads?
Neither DREDGE nor POOLS™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DREDGE or POOLS™?
DREDGE ships an update every 3 weeks, and POOLS™ every 2 months. Most recently, DREDGE was updated on October 14, 2026 and POOLS™ on October 14, 2026.

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