# Pendulum Sweeper vs Stack & Defend

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stack & Defend at none against Pendulum Sweeper's 19. Stack & Defend also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 32%). Pendulum Sweeper's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pendulum Sweeper sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Stack & Defend asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pendulum Sweeper holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 405 and 382 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Pendulum Sweeper's written reviews are positive against 51% of Stack & Defend's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Pendulum Sweeper ships an update weekly, Stack & Defend fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pendulum Sweeper | Stack & Defend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (405 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pendulum-sweeper/id6739248354/reviews)** | [4.1 (382 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-and-defend/id6741839843/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **405** | 382 |
| Positive reviews | 32.2% of reviews | **50.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 268 MB | 181 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [KAYAC Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/315952203) | [晓莹 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1784736578) |

## What reviewers say

### Pendulum Sweeper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pendulum-sweeper/id6739248354)

Control a double pendulum to defeat enemies climbing a hill. Master its physics to strike foes with precision and unlock upgrades to enhance your pendulum's power. This rogue-lite experience offers engaging gameplay and strategic choices for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Double pendulum physics, Defeat climbing enemies, Unlockable upgrades, Strategic choices, Rogue-lite gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crystal 60 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fortune Chest | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crystal 310 | $4.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gold Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack (Deal) | $5.99 | one-time |
| Crystal 640 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack (Super Deal) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack All | $14.99 | one-time |
| Crystal 1330 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Black Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Crystal 3480 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Crystal 7300 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game
- 👍 Good theme and motivation
- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Shockwave bug
- 🔕 Lack of settings to turn off sound
- 💰 Too many ads
- 🤕 Difficulty increases too much at higher levels

**Reported bugs**

- Shockwave ability stops working
- Slimes launching smaller ones on defeat

**Requested features**

- Add info tab for enemy details
- Increase damage of abilities other than pendulum


### Stack & Defend

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-and-defend/id6741839843)

Engage in thrilling tower defense battles by strategically stacking and merging blocks to build your fortress. Unleash diverse attack modes and powerful combos to defeat ruthless bosses and conquer the battlefield.

**Highlights:** Super Free Building, Stacking and merging blocks, Diverse Attack Modes, Ruthless Opponents, Frenzied Combos, Timed Battles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Satisfying sound effects
- 👍 Fun game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Towers disappear and take crystals
- 🐛 Ads too long and can't be skipped
- 🐛 Difficulty spike in early stages

**Reported bugs**

- Towers not placing properly, taking crystals
- Unwanted towers appearing on the board

**Requested features**

- Remove ad-placed towers that take up space
- Improve tower placement and movement controls


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pendulum Sweeper free?

Pendulum Sweeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Stack & Defend free?

Stack & Defend is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pendulum Sweeper or Stack & Defend?

Pendulum Sweeper is rated higher. Pendulum Sweeper averages 4.5 out of 5 from 405 ratings, while Stack & Defend averages 4.1 from 382 ratings.

### Do Pendulum Sweeper or Stack & Defend have ads?

Both Pendulum Sweeper and Stack & Defend show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pendulum Sweeper or Stack & Defend?

Pendulum Sweeper ships an update weekly, and Stack & Defend fortnightly. Most recently, Pendulum Sweeper was updated on September 24, 2026 and Stack & Defend on September 25, 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.*