Incremental ELM Quest vs Idle Mage Academy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Incremental ELM Quest
Embark on a challenging incremental RPG adventure where every battle and defeat fuels your progress. Upgrade your hero, build your town, and strategize to overcome hundreds of unique foes and powerful bosses. This game offers a rewarding experience for both short sessions and extended play.
- Incremental RPG gameplay
- Hero upgrades and evolutions
- Town building for progression
- Boss battles with unique tactics
- Permanent bonuses from defeats
- Hundreds of unique enemies
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ELM Quest is a cozy but challenging incremental RPG where every battle pushes your progress forward. Begin your quest, fight through encounters, and upgrade your hero to survive tougher foes. Every loss results in powerful permanent bonuses that strengthen future runs. Why players enjoy ELM Quest: - 4 starting heroes, each with a unique playstyle and several evolutions each. - Face powerful bosses with unique tactics. Can you beat them all? - Hundreds of unique foes. Study your foes carefully to overcome difficult fights. - Build up your town for lasting progression. - Every defeat matters, no matter how quick. Learn, adapt, and push farther each run. Whether you play in short sessions or long grinds, ELM Quest rewards strategy, persistence, and clever upgrades. Dev note: This game was made by an incremental game fan who got bored of waiting for another to come out. You will find no ads and the game was balanced around being a completely free experience. All perks/rewards obtainable for free through gameplay.
Idle Mage Academy
Rise from a failing student to a legendary archmage through idle training and strategic growth. Your spells and rewards accumulate even when you're offline. Progress through the academy, unlock new abilities, and compete globally.
- Idle growth and offline rewards
- Webnovel-style narrative
- Unlock new spells and dungeons
- Library research for permanent buffs
- Duel Club for tactical combat
- Rebirth system for endless progression
- Global online ranking
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"I was the worst dropout at the academy. Then I turned back time to become an archmage." Start as the weakest failing student of the Mage Tower and rise, one log line at a time, into a legendary archmage. Your training never stops — even when the screen is off. ■ Idle growth — spells train themselves; rewards pile up while you're away. ■ Webnovel-style log — read your underdog's struggle unfold in real time. ■ Year 1 to Archmage — promotions unlock new spells, libraries, and dungeons. ■ Library research — gather Knowledge for permanent power-ups. ■ Duel Club — pick your tactics and outwit rivals. ■ Rebirth system — reach Archmage, return to school, and grow forever via Engravings. ■ Dimension dive & online ranking — compete worldwide for the deepest floor. Easy in one hand, endlessly deep. Enroll in the Mage Tower today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Idle Mage Academy at 100% against Incremental ELM Quest's 48%. Idle Mage Academy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Incremental ELM Quest's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price 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
Both are free to download. Incremental ELM Quest sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Mage Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Incremental ELM Quest holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Incremental ELM Quest has 22 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Incremental ELM Quest's written reviews are positive against 100% of Idle Mage Academy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Incremental ELM Quest ships an update every 6 days, Idle Mage Academy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Incremental ELM Quest | Idle Mage Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (22 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 47.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eric Marin | SONGHWA CHAE |
Customer experience
Incremental ELM Quest
Idle Mage Academy
In-app purchases
Incremental ELM Quest
- Buy Dev a Coffee (+30 Renown)$0.99
- Buy Dev Lunch (+200 Renown)$4.99
- Fully Support Dev (+450 Renown)$9.99
Idle Mage Academy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Incremental ELM Quest free?
Is Idle Mage Academy free?
Which has better reviews, Incremental ELM Quest or Idle Mage Academy?
Do Incremental ELM Quest or Idle Mage Academy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Incremental ELM Quest or Idle Mage Academy?
Other comparisons
