Comparison

Elf Castle vs Drillbound

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

Head to head
About

Elf Castle

Defend your castle from 15 enemy types across over 99 levels. Earn experience to create and upgrade archers, devising strategies to repel enemy hordes and achieve victory in this engaging defense game.

Highlights
  • Castle defense gameplay
  • 15 enemy types
  • 99+ challenging levels
  • Archer creation and upgrades
  • Strategic gameplay
  • XP earning system
Features
Read full description

Prepare your archers to defend your castle! Fight and defend your castle against 15 different enemies in more than 99 challenging levels. Earn XP to create new archers or upgrade your existing archers to more powerful levels. Create your strategy, repel the enemy hordes and claim victory! In this exciting castle defense game, you will face different challenges in each level and try to keep your castle standing by making smart moves. Download now and start defending your castle!

About

Drillbound

Features
Read full description

Drill deep, strike it rich – and make sure you have enough fuel to get back up. Drillbound is a portrait mining game with a space twist. Pilot DRL-9, a small salvage robot, across five alien planets, dig for rare ore and decide on every run how deep you dare to go. DIG DEEPER, EARN MORE • Drill down and sideways through layered rock • Rare ore is worth up to 2.5× more in the depths • Sell your haul for credits or bank it for upgrades MIND YOUR FUEL • Every meter down costs jetpack fuel to fly back up • Hard landings damage your hull – brake in time • Run dry and your cargo is lost UPGRADE YOUR ROBOT • 5 upgrade tracks with 10 levels each: drill head, energy cell, cargo bay, hull plating and fuel injector • Dynamite, fuel canisters, repair kits and return beacons for risky runs • Bounties pay extra credits FIVE ALIEN WORLDS Rust world Ferrux, ice planet Cryon, volcanic Pyra, toxic Venox and crystal world Prisma – each with its own ores, stronger gravity and harder landings. Complete deliveries to unlock the next planet and bring DRL-9 home. FAIR AND OFFLINE • World 1 is completely free • One-time unlock for the full game – no subscription • No ads, no premium currency, no pay-to-win • Plays fully offline, made for one-thumb portrait play

Screenshots

Elf Castle3 screens
Drillbound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Drillbound at none against Elf Castle's shown. Drillbound also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support 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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elf Castle ships an update every 6 months, Drillbound every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Elf Castle versus Drillbound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElf CastleDrillbound
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB84 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNEW BILISIMNico Wurthenberger

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Elf Castle

One-time4
  • 1000 Altın$0.99
  • 3000 Altın$1.99
  • Reklamları Kaldır$1.99
Show 1 more
  • 10000 Altın$2.99
1 purchases

Drillbound

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Elf Castle free?
Elf Castle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drillbound free?
Drillbound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Elf Castle or Drillbound have ads?
Elf Castle shows ads; Drillbound does not.
Which is updated more often, Elf Castle or Drillbound?
Elf Castle ships an update every 6 months, and Drillbound every 2 months. Most recently, Elf Castle was updated on November 4, 2026 and Drillbound on October 25, 2026.

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