# Cardwheel vs Desert Beasts

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Desert Beasts at 100% against Cardwheel's 43%. Desert Beasts also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Cardwheel's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (45 vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cardwheel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Desert Beasts asks for nothing beyond the download.

Desert Beasts holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cardwheel has 45 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Cardwheel's written reviews are positive against 100% of Desert Beasts's.

Cardwheel ships an update every 8 days, Desert Beasts monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cardwheel | Desert Beasts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardwheel/id6752916305/reviews) | **[5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desert-beasts/id6760325197/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **45** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 42.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 101 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [nitzan.games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1841758350) | [James Rogers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883889550) |

## What reviewers say

### Cardwheel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardwheel/id6752916305)

A roguelite game where players spin a wheel, drop balls, and match colors to score points. Strategize with unique wheels, shop for upgrades, and overcome challenging boss encounters in this addictive, replayable experience.

**Highlights:** Spinning wheel gameplay, Color matching for scores, Unique wheel selection, Shop for jokers and card packs, Boss challenges with modifiers, Endless strategic combos

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


### Desert Beasts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desert-beasts/id6760325197)

Collect, trade, and battle with over 100 unique creatures in this collectible card game. Engage in a player-driven marketplace, earn daily rewards, and compete on global leaderboards. Enjoy a free-to-play experience with optional purchases to enhance progression.

**Highlights:** Collect 100+ unique beasts, Player-driven marketplace, Daily rewards and mini-games, Global leaderboards, Cloud sync, Multiple currencies

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cardwheel free?

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

### Is Desert Beasts free?

Desert Beasts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cardwheel or Desert Beasts?

Desert Beasts is rated higher. Cardwheel averages 3.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Desert Beasts averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.

### Do Cardwheel or Desert Beasts have ads?

Neither Cardwheel nor Desert Beasts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cardwheel or Desert Beasts?

Cardwheel ships an update every 8 days, and Desert Beasts monthly. Most recently, Cardwheel was updated on October 30, 2026 and Desert Beasts on November 5, 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.*