# Hex Defense! vs Magic War

The clearest difference is rating: Hex Defense! at 4.5 against Magic War's 3.8. Hex Defense! also leads on ratings volume (4.6K vs 359). Magic War's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hex Defense! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Magic War sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hex Defense! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hex Defense! has 4.6K ratings behind it against 359, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Hex Defense!'s written reviews are positive against 11% of Magic War's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hex Defense! | Magic War |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-defense/id6736362115/reviews)** | [3.8 (359 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-war-defense/id6747439142/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.6K** | 359 |
| Positive reviews | **16.2% of reviews** | 11.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 392 MB | 241 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Voodoo](https://appshunter.io/developer/714804730) | [Genesis Network](https://appshunter.io/developer/1668975668) |

## What reviewers say

### Hex Defense!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-defense/id6736362115)

Strategically place and merge weapons to defend a vibrant cube world. Demolish waves of incoming enemies by upgrading your arsenal with powerful skills. Protect the world from the encroaching evil hexes.

**Highlights:** Defeat enemy waves, Merge weapons, Demolish enemy stacks, Upgrade skills, Save the cube world

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Gems Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Gems Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Speed Up | $4.99 | one-time |
| Golden Pass | $6.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $7.99 | one-time |
| Auto Blessings | $7.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gems Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer: Minigun | $12.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer: Tesla | $19.99 | one-time |
| Large Gems Pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and wholesome gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. stage progression issues, tower upgrades not working)
- 💰 Monetization concerns (e.g. ads, paid features removed)
- 🔍 Incomplete/unfinished content (e.g. missing levels, towers, features)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to progress past certain levels
- Towers not unlocking as expected
- Game crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- More maps and levels
- Additional tower types and upgrades
- Offline play option


### Magic War

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-war-defense/id6747439142)

Protect a magical continent by strategically moving your hero, building defenses, and commanding epic heroes. Face waves of monsters and team up for epic co-op sieges to stop the Demon King.

**Highlights:** Strategic grid-based movement, Tower defense missions, Kingdom building and defense design, Command epic heroes, Real-time co-op sieges

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $0.99 Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| $1.99 Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| $2.99 Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| $4.99 Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| $9.99 Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| $19.99 Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| $24.99 Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| $29.99 Pack | $29.99 | one-time |
| $49.99 Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| $99.99 Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Addictive main tower defense game
- 👍 Lots of features and gameplay loops
- 👍 Great character designs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unbalanced gameplay
- 🤔 Unrelated minigame not what was advertised
- 👎 Unappealing character style in thumbnails

**Reported bugs**

- Game not working as advertised, switching to different game
- Significant lag issues

**Requested features**

- Focus more on advertising the main game instead of the minigame


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hex Defense! free?

Hex Defense! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Magic War free?

Magic War is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hex Defense! or Magic War?

Hex Defense! is rated higher. Hex Defense! averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4.6K ratings, while Magic War averages 3.8 from 359 ratings.

### Do Hex Defense! or Magic War have ads?

Hex Defense! shows ads; Magic War does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hex Defense! or Magic War?

Hex Defense! ships an update fortnightly, and Magic War fortnightly. Most recently, Hex Defense! was updated on November 5, 2026 and Magic War on October 30, 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.*