Comparison

Lex vs Mateforge

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

Head to head
About

Lex

This game blends Scrabble and Poker mechanics for a unique word-building experience. Craft powerful synergies, bend grammar rules, and unleash multipliers to conquer challenges and break the dictionary.

Highlights
  • Deckbuilding word-game mechanics
  • Collect over 100 unique Editors
  • Customize your starting tile bag
  • Conquer challenging Bosses
  • Upgrade vocabulary with Booster Packs
  • Permanent tile upgrades and consumables
Features
Read full description

Spell. Score. Upgrade. Break the game. Spelling a word is easy. Breaking the dictionary is where the fun begins. Do both in this game that combines Scrabble and Poker into one fun experience! Lex is a fun, deckbuilding word-game where you craft powerful synergies, bend the laws of grammar, and unleash absurd multipliers to survive the ultimate lexical gauntlet. Whether you're playing a simple three-letter word or weaving a complex six-letter masterpiece, every hand is a tactical decision. Can you build the ultimate tile bag and outsmart the Bosses? WHY YOU’LL BE ADDICTED: SPELL WITHOUT LIMITS: Play classic words or craft high-scoring combos. Score massive multipliers by playing Alternating letter patterns, bookends, or same-suit Flushes. RECRUIT YOUR EDITORS: Collect over 100 unique Editors - powerful modifiers that completely break the game. Retrigger your vowels with The Hawaiian, double your score with The Poet, or change the rules entirely with Four Fingers. CUSTOMIZE YOUR BAG: Choose from 14 starting Bags that radically alter your run. Start with deep debt using the Zodiac Bag, play high-risk balanced scoring with the Plasma Bag, or embrace total chaos with the Erratic Bag. CONQUER THE BOSSES: Face off against legendary Bosses designed to shut down your strategies. Can you survive The Silent (no vowel points), The Cramped (reduced hand size), or The Fog (tiles drawn face down)? UPGRADE YOUR VOCABULARY: Rip open Booster Packs, customize your tiles with Steel, Glass, or Stone coatings, and use legendary consumables like Quills and Thesaurus cards to level up your hand values permanently.

About

Mateforge

Features
Read full description

Mateforge is a single-player chess roguelike deckbuilder. Command an army of chess pieces, cast powerful spell cards, and survive an ever-collapsing board across an endless run of battles. Each round the board crumbles beneath you — capture every enemy before it does. Between fights, draft upgrades, recruit and merge pieces, forge your deck, and grow stronger for the boss waiting ahead. FEATURES - Chess meets roguelike — pieces move by real chess rules, but the board falls apart every turn - Build your deck — craft custom decks from 29 spell cards: lightning, meteors, freezes, teleports and more - Evolve your pieces — defeat bosses to permanently evolve your army through 3 tiers of power - Merge & recruit — fuse pieces into stronger ones and expand your squad - Boss battles — face bosses with shields, swift moves and spawning, scaling in difficulty - Daily challenge — a new rule-bending mutator every day - Meta progression — earn shards and unlock permanent perks that carry across runs - Endless runs — no two are ever the same - 6 languages — English, Türkçe, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano How far can you get before the board swallows you?

Screenshots

Lex4 screens
Mateforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mateforge at none against Lex's 1. On price, update cadence, ads 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. Lex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mateforge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lex ships an update every 10 days, Mateforge every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Lex versus Mateforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLexMateforge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHoward WattsSalih Eksioglu

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lex

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
None

Mateforge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lex free?
Lex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mateforge free?
Mateforge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lex or Mateforge have ads?
Both Lex and Mateforge show ads.
Which is updated more often, Lex or Mateforge?
Lex ships an update every 10 days, and Mateforge every 5 days. Most recently, Lex was updated on November 5, 2026 and Mateforge on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons