Comparison

GEARS vs The Workshop

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

Head to head
About

GEARS

Design, build, and command your own custom combat mechs in this action-strategy game. Unleash your creations in dynamic battles, utilize powerful support abilities, and crush waves of enemies to prove your tactical strength.

Highlights
  • Gear-based mech constructor
  • Real-time battles
  • Diverse unit classes
  • Tactical support powers
  • Upgradeable gear and weapons
  • Offline-ready gameplay
Features
Read full description

Construct. Command. Conquer. Welcome to GEARS: War Machine — the ultimate action-strategy game where you build your own combat mechs using powerful gears and unleash them in dynamic battlefield warfare! - Design Your Machines Craft unique war units with modular parts, gear systems, and powerful upgrades. Create light scouts, tanky bruisers, or devastating long-range bots. Your workshop is your weapon. - Lead Armies of Steel Deploy your customized mech units and take control of the battlefield. Combine melee tanks, shooter bots, rocket launchers, and support units to outplay your enemies. - Activate Support Abilities Turn the tide with powerful boosts like Air Strikes, Orbital Lasers, Napalm Drops, and more. Timing is everything — command with precision! - Crush Waves of Enemies Face increasingly difficult challenges, climb the ranks, and prove your tactical strength across diverse environments. - Progress & Dominate Complete missions, upgrade your army, unlock new gear, and build an unstoppable mechanical force. Key Features: - Gear-based mech constructor system - Intense real-time battles with AI and PvE missions - Diverse unit classes: melee, ranged, support - Tactical support powers (laser, napalm, air strike) - Upgradeable gear, weapons, and commanders - Stylized military visuals with satisfying combat effects - Offline-ready — command anytime, anywhere Are you ready to engineer your own war machine? Download GEARS: War Machine now and build your path to domination!

About

The Workshop

Features
Read full description

A brass ball falls. A hoop waits below. Between them, you build the machine that connects the two. The Workshop is a physics puzzle game about building small, satisfying contraptions. Each level hands you a few machines — a fan, a seesaw, a cannon, a conveyor — and an empty board. Where you place them, and which way they face, is the whole puzzle. Press GO and watch your machine run: if the ball lands home, it's on to the next one. If it doesn't, the fun is in seeing exactly why. BUILD WITH 20+ MACHINES Fans push, cannons launch, balloons lift, pipes teleport, magnets pull, and tar slows everything down. Machines are introduced one at a time across 100 hand-built levels, so there's always a new tool arriving just as you've mastered the last one. EVERY LEVEL IS SOLVABLE — PROVABLY Each level's solution is machine-verified before it ships: it works at any frame rate, survives imprecise placement, and needs every machine it gives you. If you're stuck, it's not the level. STUCK ANYWAY? YOU DECIDE HOW MUCH HELP Reveal the solution one machine at a time with a Nudge, buy a little more clock when the timer runs hot, or skip a level that's beaten you and come back later. Help is always optional and never forced on you. MAKE THE BALL YOURS Earn coins by solving levels and spend them on ball finishes — brass, jade, obsidian, prismatic — and trails that ribbon behind the ball as it flies. RESPECTS YOUR TIME AND YOUR PRIVACY No account. No sign-in. Works offline. The free version shows non-personalised ads — the game never tracks you across apps or websites — and a single one-time purchase removes ads forever, unlocks every level, and makes hints free. One ball. One hoop. One hundred machines between them. Welcome to the workshop.

Screenshots

GEARS4 screens
The Workshop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: The Workshop at every 2 days against GEARS's every 11 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. GEARS sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and The Workshop sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GEARS ships an update every 11 days, The Workshop every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
GEARS versus The Workshop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGEARSThe Workshop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size269 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAD PIXELEran Amrani

In-app purchases

9 purchases

GEARS

One-time9
  • Starter Gem Pack$0.99
  • Custom Command Deal$1.99
  • Recruiter’s Bundle$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Premium Pass$3.99
  • Ad-Free Upgrade$4.99
  • Tactical Reserve$6.99
  • War Chest$14.99
  • War Chest$29.99
  • Commander's Vault$59.99
4 purchases

The Workshop

One-time4
  • 600 Coins$1.99
  • The Workshop Premium$4.99
  • 2,000 Coins$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 5,000 Coins$9.99

Questions

Is GEARS free?
GEARS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Workshop free?
The Workshop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GEARS or The Workshop have ads?
Both GEARS and The Workshop show ads.
Which is updated more often, GEARS or The Workshop?
GEARS ships an update every 11 days, and The Workshop every 2 days. Most recently, GEARS was updated on November 8, 2026 and The Workshop on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons