Comparison

Synergism vs Alchemist's Engine

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

Head to head
About

Synergism

An idle incremental game focused on combining elements for powerful effects. Progress through a vast system of prestige layers, hundreds of achievements, and unique mechanics. Explore a world with a loosely connected story and discover numerous references.

Highlights
  • Idle Incremental Gameplay
  • Prestige Layers
  • Hundreds of Achievements
  • Challenge System
  • Exploration-Focused Progression
  • Synergistic Mechanics
  • Developer and Online Player Events
Features
Read full description

Synergy n. The combined effort of two or more things that creates an effect stronger than the sum of their individual parts. Synergism is a content-rich Idle Incremental game that expands on this concept, with many prestige layers, hundreds of achievements, pretty little pixel-art icons, and more! You begin your Synergism journey with just a pittance of 100 coins. Hire your first worker, and the rest will be history. That little worker will be relevant even late into the game, and those late game features in turn empower your worker. Synergy! Here's just a few highlights and fun facts about Synergism: * Actively developed since July 2019, and publicly released to the web on May 1, 2020. * Frequent minor and major updates! * A challenge system! That develops on itself again, and again, and again. * Almost 500 Achievements, and more will be added in future updates. * A progression system that heavily favors exploration, without requiring the perfect setup to make progress. * Mechanics that, well, Synergize. Is that even a word? It is now. * A story that, while loosely connected, makes more sense when you look at it from a certain point of view. * Probably over a hundred music references that Platonic hopes you'll get. Can you spot them all? * Even more random references that Platonic put into the game through happenstance. * Events that can be activated by other online players! Also, occasional events set by the developers! * Hand-drawn pixel art that represents upgrades in all stages of the game! * The Ant God. The Ant God wants your Galactic Crumbs. Synergism is the efforts of Platonic and Khafra, made over the course of the past six years, with all the love you can put into a passion project. It is our flagship game, and we are proud to finally bring it to the App Store! Terms of Service (TOS): https://synergism.cc/terms-of-service

About

Alchemist's Engine

Tend to a dormant engine in a ruined world by gathering fuel, crafting resources, and researching upgrades. Forge golems to assist in your tasks as you explore a labyrinthine mine and uncover a forgotten story.

Highlights
  • Feed and stoke the engine
  • Merge sparks on an alchemical table
  • Forge and upgrade golems
  • Research forgotten techniques
  • Explore a seeded labyrinth
  • Unravel the story
Features
Read full description

A sleeping engine. A blasted world. Tend to the fire, and uncover what was left behind. Alchemist's Engine is an incremental, idle crafting & adventure game. FEED THE FIRE - gather fuel, stoke the engine, and keep its heat rising. MERGE THE SPARKS - pluck sparks from the embers and merge them on the alchemical table to grow your power. RAISE YOUR WORKFORCE - forge golems of stone, quartz, and metal who gather, haul, and craft while you plan. Feed them back to the engine when you outgrow them. UPGRADE - smelt bronze and steel, research forgotten techniques, and upgrade the engine from a cold firebox into a towering machine. DESCEND - explore an ever-changing labyrinth of mines, crystal chambers, sunken temples, flooded galleries, and stranger rooms the deeper you go. UNRAVEL THE STORY - cold hearths, sibling machines, and a sealed gate that has waited a very long time for you.

Screenshots

Synergism3 screens
Alchemist's Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Alchemist's Engine at 100% against Synergism's 30%. Alchemist's Engine also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 9). Synergism's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume and iOS requirement 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. Synergism sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Alchemist's Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alchemist's Engine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Synergism's written reviews are positive against 100% of Alchemist's Engine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Synergism ships an update every 3 weeks, Alchemist's Engine every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Synergism versus Alchemist's Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynergismAlchemist's Engine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (21 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.7
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB8 MB
Age rating+129+
DeveloperPlatonic and Khafra GamesJust Software LLC

Customer experience

Synergism

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative40.0%

Alchemist's Engine

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Synergism

Subscriptions4
  • The Transcended Baller$2.991 Month
  • The Reincarnated Baller$5.991 Month
  • The Ascended Baller$9.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • The Omega Baller$19.991 Month
One-time5
  • Roll of PseudoCoins$4.99
  • Piggy Bank of PseudoCoins$9.99
  • Jar of PseudoCoins$19.99
Show 2 more
  • Jug of PseudoCoins$49.99
  • Magic Pot of PseudoCoins$99.99
None

Alchemist's Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synergism free?
Synergism is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Alchemist's Engine free?
Alchemist's Engine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Synergism or Alchemist's Engine?
Alchemist's Engine is rated higher. Synergism averages 4.0 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Alchemist's Engine averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Synergism or Alchemist's Engine have ads?
Alchemist's Engine shows ads; Synergism does not.
Which is updated more often, Synergism or Alchemist's Engine?
Synergism ships an update every 3 weeks, and Alchemist's Engine every 4 days. Most recently, Synergism was updated on October 24, 2026 and Alchemist's Engine on October 24, 2026.

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