Comparison

Skull Up vs AETHERMERE

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

Head to head
About

Skull Up

Embark on an epic journey from a rookie skull to the Skull King. Collect and evolve over 60 unique characters, manage resources through idle gameplay, and strategize with diverse team combinations. Join guilds and uncover hidden treasures in endless underworld adventures.

Highlights
  • Collect over 60 unique Skellies
  • Idle management with abundant rewards
  • Unlock multiple adventures
  • Join a guild and fight with allies
  • Loss-free progression system
  • Strategic team combinations
  • Offline resource gathering
Features
Read full description

[Game Features] Even a rookie skull can become the Skull King! In Skull Up, you will rise from the bottom to the throne: collect over 60 Skellies to form your unique teams, enjoy idle management with abundant rewards, and unlock multiple adventures. Come and unleash the power of the undead and evolve from a nobody into the Skull King! [Endless Fun, Underworld Adventures] A rookie skull uncovered hidden treasures! In Skull Up, you can amass massive resources through management gameplay, or defeat mighty enemies with smart strategies. Join a guild and fight alongside your bone buddies! More content await—nonstop excitement guaranteed! [Diverse Skellies, Boundless Power] Gather various Skellies during your path to becoming the King! During this adventure, you will encounter over 60 unique Skellies with distinct looks and abilities. With diverse designs, they can be switched between human and skull forms, who are your strongest bone allies! [Easy Progression, Loss-Free Growth] Power up your companions without pressure: The loss-free progress system allows you to upgrade any Skelly—the resources can be fully refunded. Experiment freely, optimize your team, and achieve rapid power spikes with no investment wasted. [Free Combinations, Smart Strategies] Level up nonstop and show the king’s edge! Unlock your strategic potential and assemble a bone-powered team. Whether breaking defenses or providing support, every Skelly hides unique strengths— deploy them wisely! [Idle Management, Effortless Rewards] Future king, this undead castle is yours! Assign skull workers to smelt, log, and mine—gain massive EXP and valuable resources even while offline and level up with ease! With an idle strategy system, victory comes effortlessly!

About

AETHERMERE

Features
Read full description

The old magic was sealed into cards. No ads. No gacha. No data collection. In Aethermere, the old magic — the arcana — was bound into playing cards. The Emperor, meaning to hold that power alone, seized every card he could find and outlawed the duels themselves. You are the grandchild of an exiled master. All you have is the worn deck your grandfather Aldric left behind. The road begins in a tavern at the edge of the world. ■ Thirty seconds to learn. A lifetime to read. - Five cards in hand; each carries four numbers, one per edge - Place a card, and any neighbour whose facing number is lower flips to your colour - When the ninth square fills, the colour holding the most wins That is the whole rule. The endgame is still a duel of two or three moves ahead. ■ Take them, and keep them Beat a rival and one card leaves their hand for yours. Fifty-four arcana, drawn as Mucha-style gold filigree, waiting to be collected. ■ Ten rivals From a deserter who fled the empire to the Emperor on his throne. Ten stages that tighten and loosen by turns, ending with an AI that reads several moves deep. ■ The board outlasts the story - Emperor's Gauntlet — the hardest run, unlocked only by clearing stage 10 - Daily Duel — twelve cards chosen by the date; everyone plays the same board - Two Players — pass the phone and sit across from each other, no network - Rule variants — Echo, Balance, Cascade and Open, combined however you like ■ What we promise - No ads — no banners, no rewarded video - No gacha — the match is decided by reading the board, not by spending - One purchase, and that is all — stages 1-3 free, the rest for a single payment - No data collection — no analytics SDK, no account, nowhere to send anything (we run no server) - Plays offline — finish the whole game in airplane mode; the network is needed only to buy Take the cards back. --- IVYXON Games (Polaris LLC) Privacy policy: https://games.ivyxon.com/aethermere-privacy

Screenshots

Skull Up4 screens
AETHERMERE4 screens

Verdict

The call

Skull Up and AETHERMERE are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Skull Up sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and AETHERMERE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skull Up ships an update every 10 days, AETHERMERE every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Skull Up versus AETHERMERE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkull UpAETHERMERE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB33 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperEFUN PIONEER COMPANY LIMITEDPolaris LLC

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Skull Up

One-time10
  • USD0.99Pack$0.99
  • USD1.99Pack$1.99
  • USD2.99Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • USD4.99Pack$4.99
  • USD6.99Pack$6.99
  • USD9.99Pack$9.99
  • USD14.99Pack$14.99
  • USD19.99Pack$19.99
  • USD29.99Pack$29.99
  • USD49.99Pack$49.99
1 purchases

AETHERMERE

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Skull Up free?
Skull Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AETHERMERE free?
AETHERMERE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Skull Up or AETHERMERE have ads?
Neither Skull Up nor AETHERMERE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skull Up or AETHERMERE?
Skull Up ships an update every 10 days, and AETHERMERE every 5 days. Most recently, Skull Up was updated on November 5, 2026 and AETHERMERE on November 6, 2026.

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