# The Gardener vs Malcong

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Gardener at none against Malcong's 1. The Gardener also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Malcong's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Malcong sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Gardener asks for nothing beyond the download.

The Gardener ships an update monthly, Malcong every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Gardener | Malcong |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 days** |
| Size | 15 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CARSTEN FREITAG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800952607) | [echokindness](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781770896) |

## What reviewers say

### The Gardener

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-gardener-arcade/id6757014190)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


### Malcong

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/malcong/id6811362609)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Egg | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Gardener free?

The Gardener is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Malcong free?

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

### Do The Gardener or Malcong have ads?

Neither The Gardener nor Malcong shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Gardener or Malcong?

The Gardener ships an update monthly, and Malcong every 2 days. Most recently, The Gardener was updated on October 30, 2026 and Malcong on October 31, 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.*