# Lums vs Once Upon a Tower

The clearest difference is price: Once Upon a Tower at Free against Lums's $1.99. Once Upon a Tower also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 11). Lums's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Once Upon a Tower is free to download; Lums costs $1.99 up front. Once Upon a Tower sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Lums asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lums holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Once Upon a Tower has 3.3K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Lums's written reviews are positive against 75% of Once Upon a Tower's.

Lums ships an update every 17 months, Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lums | Once Upon a Tower |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lums/id654746244/reviews)** | [4.7 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **3.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **91.7% of reviews** | 75.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 28 MB | 226 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Vladimir Hrincar](https://appshunter.io/developer/648604418) | [Pomelo Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/899606172) |

## What reviewers say

### Lums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lums/id654746244)

Engage in a physics-based puzzle adventure where you use five unique characters with distinct abilities to defeat vampires by destroying their hideouts. Explore an organic, dark world filled with intricate details and challenging levels.

**Highlights:** Action physics puzzle gameplay, Five distinct Lum characters, Physically realistic real-time 2D soft shadows, Intuitive touch-device controls, 68 unique levels, 204 stars to collect, Over 50 achievements

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Creative and original gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and fun controls
- ✨ Stunning graphics and lighting effects
- 🧠 Mentally stimulating and challenging puzzles
- 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😕 Controls can be tricky initially
- 🤔 Gameplay can be confusing at first
- 👻 Monsters look too cute
- 💰 Overpriced for short gameplay duration
- 🪲 Controls are a bit loose

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes (mentioned once, but resolved by user)
- Touchscreen not responsive on iPad Air (specific device issue)

**Requested features**

- Release new levels
- Update for latest iDevices
- Add more levels
- Level editor
- Creepier music and monsters


### Once Upon a Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-tower/id1209083773)

Break free from your tower prison in this adventure game. Armed with a war hammer, you'll battle enemies and escape a dragon. Your rescue is up to you!

**Highlights:** Tower escape adventure, Battle enemies, Fight a dragon, Princess protagonist, Offline gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oscura | $0.99 | one-time |
| Noriko | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Loriel | $0.99 | one-time |
| Denise | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dragon scales x20 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x60 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lives Pack x200 | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎮 Simple but engaging mechanics
- 🚀 Great time killer
- 👍 Empowering female characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Unclear instructions/tutorials
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads
- 🤖 Unresponsive controls

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when watching ads
- Progress resets after crashes
- Challenges not tracking properly
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- More character/princess variety
- Ability to save progress
- Difficulty settings
- Multiplayer mode
- Level editor


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lums free?

Lums costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Once Upon a Tower free?

Once Upon a Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Lums or Once Upon a Tower?

Lums is rated higher. Lums averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Once Upon a Tower averages 4.7 from 3.3K ratings.

### Do Lums or Once Upon a Tower have ads?

Once Upon a Tower shows ads; Lums does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lums or Once Upon a Tower?

Lums ships an update every 17 months, and Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. Most recently, Lums was updated on November 1, 2026 and Once Upon a Tower on November 9, 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.*