# Draft Showdown vs Fortress Merge

Draft Showdown and Fortress Merge both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Draft Showdown's written reviews are positive against 26% of Fortress Merge's. Draft Showdown also leads on chart position (#34 vs unranked). Fortress Merge's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Draft Showdown sells 25 one-off in-app purchases and Fortress Merge sells 24 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Draft Showdown against 4.6 for Fortress Merge. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14K and 11K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Draft Showdown's written reviews are positive against 26% of Fortress Merge's.

Draft Showdown ships an update fortnightly, Fortress Merge every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Draft Showdown | Fortress Merge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/draft-showdown/id6743368869/reviews)** | [4.6 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fortress-merge/id6745399994/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 11K |
| Positive reviews | **70.6% of reviews** | 25.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#34** | — |
| Size | 427 MB | 433 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Voodoo](https://appshunter.io/developer/714804730) | [TapNation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483575279) |

## What reviewers say

### Draft Showdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/draft-showdown/id6743368869)

**Currently charting:** #34 Top Free · Strategy, #69 Top Grossing · Strategy, #93 Top Grossing · Casual, #149 Top Free · Casual (US App Store)

Engage in fast-paced strategy card battles where you draft a squad and watch them auto-combat in real-time. Adapt your tactics round after round to outsmart opponents and achieve victory. Matches are quick, offering depth for veterans and accessibility for newcomers.

**Highlights:** Draft a squad in seconds, Real-time auto-combat, Adapt tactics round after round, Build a signature four-card load-out, Innovative fourth draw for comebacks, Hybrid-casual gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (25)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handful of Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Common Unlock Offer | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Many Chips | $2.99 | one-time |
| Showdown Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Rare Unlock Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Commander Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pouch of Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pouch of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Double Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Showdown Pass | $6.99 | one-time |
| Triple Coins | $7.99 | one-time |
| NoAds Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Arena Unlock Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Epic Unlock Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Chip Mega Stack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Battle Pass | $14.99 | one-time |
| Mega Pass | $14.99 | one-time |
| Supporter Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Coins | $19.99 | one-time |
| Supporter Pass | $29.99 | one-time |
| Chest of Gems | $49.99 | one-time |
| Chest of Coins | $49.99 | one-time |
| Mountain of Coins | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and well-made game
- 👍 Cute art style
- 🚀 Simple and easy to play

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Unbalanced matchmaking
- 🔍 Progression issues after Arena 3
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Unfair power-up distribution

**Reported bugs**

- Account resets after updates
- Disconnects during matches
- Incorrect in-app purchase information

**Requested features**

- More game modes
- Improved matchmaking system
- Fairer progression system
- Better customer support


### Fortress Merge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fortress-merge/id6745399994)

Engage in strategic city defense by merging and upgrading buildings to fend off relentless enemy waves. This action-packed puzzle game challenges you to plan your moves carefully and use resources wisely to survive. Immerse yourself in exciting gameplay with stunning graphics and fast-paced action.

**Highlights:** Merge and upgrade buildings, Strategic gameplay and resource management, Defend against enemy waves, Exciting puzzle mechanics, Stunning graphics and engaging action

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

**In-app purchases (24)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Day Speed Up | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gems Reroll 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gem Reroll Bought | $0.99 | one-time |
| 3 Days Speed Up | $1.99 | one-time |
| Skip It 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1 Week Speed Up | $3.79 | one-time |
| No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Heaven Gear Set Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Blessings Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gems Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gems Reroll 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Paladin Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| The Esmeralda Discounted Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Skip It 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gems Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gems Reroll 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Electric Goddess Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Gems Pack 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Skip It 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Gems Pack 5 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Gems Pack 6 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Huge game
- 🚀 Smooth animations and aesthetics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 Excessive ads, some up to 120 seconds long
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. level 46 issue, experience not earned after leveling up)
- 💰 Monetization issues (e.g. no option to opt out of data collection)

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes and progress loss at level 46
- Leveling up issues, experience not earned

**Requested features**

- Option to disable ads
- Improved progression system and balance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Draft Showdown free?

Draft Showdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Fortress Merge free?

Fortress Merge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Draft Showdown or Fortress Merge?

Draft Showdown is rated higher. Draft Showdown averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Fortress Merge averages 4.6 from 11K ratings.

### Do Draft Showdown or Fortress Merge have ads?

Both Draft Showdown and Fortress Merge show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Draft Showdown or Fortress Merge?

Draft Showdown ships an update fortnightly, and Fortress Merge every 4 days. Most recently, Draft Showdown was updated on September 27, 2026 and Fortress Merge on September 27, 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.*