Comparison

Idle Alchemist vs Idle Forge

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

Head to head
About

Idle Alchemist

Features
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Become a master alchemist. Stir living cauldrons, summon rare ingredients, and brew ever-more-powerful potions in a cozy, beautiful idle game — play in minutes a day, or watch it grow while you're away. THE GREAT WORK • Brew dozens of potions across a deep recipe tree • Summon ingredients and discover new combinations • Auto-brewing keeps the cauldrons working offline GROW YOUR ARCANE EMPIRE • Unlock pets, runes, apprentices, and the Tower • Send familiars on expeditions for rare loot • Rebirth to grow exponentially stronger ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW • A seasonal pass with painted rewards • Daily quests, weekend events, and live-ops • Guilds, leaderboards, and weekly boss raids • Hand-painted art for every ingredient, potion, pet, and rune Relaxing, gorgeous, and endlessly deep. Begin the Great Work today. MASTER'S PATH SUBSCRIPTION (OPTIONAL) Master's Path is an optional auto-renewing monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. The game is fully playable for free. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.paritycrest.com/legal/privacy

About

Idle Forge

Features
Read full description

A little forge that doesn't need you. Light the hearth, hire an apprentice, and watch the smithy fill with workers, furnaces and stranger things. Idle Forge is an idle clicker built to be calm: it earns while you're away, asks for nothing when you return, and never punishes you for having a life. MADE TO RESPECT YOUR TIME • Progress continues while the app is closed. Sleep is a strategy • No daily-streak guilt, no timers that expire while you're at work • Watching ads is always optional, always a bonus, never a toll • Tapping helps, but it's a pleasure, not a duty: your workers swing the hammers A FORGE WITH SOMEWHERE TO GO • Dozens of generators, from apprentice to things physics won't explain • Reforge to melt it all down for Embers and permanent power • A living workshop you can watch: every worker you hire is down there on the floor, hammering • Catch drifting fire wisps for a frenzy of production • Achievements, milestones, a daily gift, and yes, an actual ending at the top of the ladder QUIET BY DESIGN • The forge's own sounds (hammer, embers, quench), no music, no noise • Every effect can be switched off, from vibration to embers • Your save is yours: export it as a code, carry it anywhere, no account Free to play. Ads are opt-in rewards only: everything an ad grants can also be earned by playing.

Screenshots

Idle Alchemist4 screens
Idle Forge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Forge at none against Idle Alchemist's 10. Idle Forge also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Idle Alchemist sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Forge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idle Alchemist ships an update every 2 months, Idle Forge every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Idle Alchemist versus Idle Forge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle AlchemistIdle Forge
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperParity Crest LtdErik Tobias Rinde Tharaldsen

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Idle Alchemist

One-time10
  • Aether Pouch$0.99
  • Gold Coin Purse$0.99
  • Crystal Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Aether Chest$3.99
  • Gold Strongbox$3.99
  • Phoenix Feathers$4.99
  • Master Alchemist Bundle$9.99
  • Mooneye Pearl$9.99
  • Aether Vault$14.99
  • Gold Dragon Hoard$14.99
None

Idle Forge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Idle Alchemist free?
Idle Alchemist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Forge free?
Idle Forge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Idle Alchemist or Idle Forge have ads?
Both Idle Alchemist and Idle Forge show ads.
Which is updated more often, Idle Alchemist or Idle Forge?
Idle Alchemist ships an update every 2 months, and Idle Forge every 5 days. Most recently, Idle Alchemist was updated on October 14, 2026 and Idle Forge on October 5, 2026.

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