Comparison

Barcode Beasts vs Galactic Merge Idle

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

Head to head
About

Barcode Beasts

Transform your surroundings into a monster hunting ground by scanning product barcodes. Engage in turn-based battles, collect unique creatures, and level up your character to become the ultimate scanner.

Highlights
  • Scan any product barcode to summon creatures
  • Turn-based monster battles
  • Collect 84+ unique beasts
  • Level up and customize character stats
  • Unlockable attacks and combat loadouts
  • Build and track your Bestiary
Features
Read full description

WELCOME TO BARCODE BEASTS The world is surrounded by barcodes and beasts lie within. Transform your world into a monster hunting ground! Barcode Beasts turns every product barcode into a gateway to encounter wild creatures waiting to be challenged. SCAN ANYTHING Use your camera to scan barcodes on groceries, books, packages - anything! Each barcode summons a unique beast ready for battle. BATTLE AS A SCANNER Fight beasts you discover directly in turn based battles with your own skills. Master 18 unlockable attacks, manage your Battle Stamina wisely, and exploit enemy weaknesses to claim victory. DISCOVER 100 UNIQUE BEASTS AND RISING From the eerie Gravemite to the electrifying Voltgrub, discover and defeat a roster of mysterious creatures with distinct abilities and personalities. Build your Bestiary and track your stats against every beast you encounter! LEVEL UP & GET STRONGER Earn XP from every battle. Increase your stats, unlock powerful new attacks, customize your combat loadout and items to give you the upper hand. Become the best and most powerful scanner. TEST YOUR SKILLS Take on challenging dungeons and defeat 5 rooms of increasingly tougher beasts. ARE YOU READY? BECOME A SCANNNER TODAY! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Galactic Merge Idle

Build an interstellar production empire by strategically merging ships and upgrading your galactic circuits. Earn coins as ships travel, then reinvest to unlock new lines, acquire more vessels, and evolve them into powerful income generators. Complete missions to unlock advanced circuits and scale your space economy.

Highlights
  • Incremental idle gameplay
  • Ship merging and evolution
  • Circuit upgrades for efficiency
  • Mission-based progression
  • Strategic expansion and optimization
  • Galactic production loop
Features
Read full description

Build the ultimate galactic production loop in this addictive space idle incremental! Ships move endlessly around your circuit, generating coins every time they cross income lines. Use your earnings to unlock new lines, buy more ships, and merge identical ships to evolve them into higher-tier vessels that generate exponentially more income. Complete missions to progress to the next level and unlock larger, more advanced circuits with more space, more lines, and greater earning potential. Upgrade your circuit to boost efficiency, optimize your layout, and scale your space economy to astronomical numbers. Strategic merging, smart expansion, and constant upgrades are the keys to building a powerful interstellar income machine. How far can you push your galactic empire?

Screenshots

Barcode Beasts4 screens
Galactic Merge Idle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Barcode Beasts at 98% against Galactic Merge Idle's 8%. Barcode Beasts also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ads (none vs shown). Galactic Merge Idle's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 19) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, 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. Barcode Beasts sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Galactic Merge Idle sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Barcode Beasts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Galactic Merge Idle has 1.7K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of Barcode Beasts's written reviews are positive against 8% of Galactic Merge Idle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barcode Beasts ships an update every 5 days, Galactic Merge Idle every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Barcode Beasts versus Galactic Merge Idle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarcode BeastsGalactic Merge Idle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (19 ratings) — better4.3 (1.7K ratings)
Positive reviews98.3% of reviews — better8.4% of reviews
Number of ratings191.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB377 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperMATTHEW LAWRIE LAFFERTYVoodoo

Customer experience

Barcode Beasts

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.7%

Galactic Merge Idle

All ratings1,658 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive8.4%
Neutral7.4%
Negative84.2%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Barcode Beasts

One-time4
  • 100 coins$0.99
  • 500 coins$3.99
  • 1500 coins$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Booster pack$19.99
6 purchases

Galactic Merge Idle

One-time6
  • Small pack of Gems$1.99
  • No Ads$4.99
  • Medium pack of Gems$5.99
Show 3 more
  • Big pack of Gems$14.99
  • Superior pack of Gems$24.99
  • Legendary pack of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Barcode Beasts free?
Barcode Beasts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Galactic Merge Idle free?
Galactic Merge Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Barcode Beasts or Galactic Merge Idle?
Barcode Beasts is rated higher. Barcode Beasts averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Galactic Merge Idle averages 4.3 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Barcode Beasts or Galactic Merge Idle have ads?
Galactic Merge Idle shows ads; Barcode Beasts does not.
Which is updated more often, Barcode Beasts or Galactic Merge Idle?
Barcode Beasts ships an update every 5 days, and Galactic Merge Idle every 4 days. Most recently, Barcode Beasts was updated on October 16, 2026 and Galactic Merge Idle on October 16, 2026.

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