Idle Runner vs Pulldown Paladin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Idle Runner
Engage in an AFK defense RPG where your hero battles automatically while you strategically manage resources and upgrades. Explore multiple worlds, optimize your build with various powers and equipment, and progress through deep endgame systems. Enjoy continuous simulation even when offline.
- AFK auto-battle gameplay
- Strategic resource management
- Multiple worlds and enemy types
- Deep upgrade and optimization systems
- Endgame content and progression
- Companions, skins, and seasons
- Cloud save across devices
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Your hero holds the line. You build the machine that keeps it standing. Idle Runner is an AFK defense RPG. Your hero stands its ground and fights on its own — firing at range, meleeing whatever gets close — while you decide where every coin goes. IT REALLY RUNS WHILE YOU'RE GONE Most idle games just estimate what you missed. Idle Runner keeps simulating. Close the app, lock your phone, walk away — waves keep coming, coins keep dropping, your build keeps earning. A notification tells you when your hero finally falls, so you know exactly when to come back. 8 WORLDS, ENDLESS WAVES Enchanted Forest, Dark Cavern, Scorched Desert, Corrupted Forest, Volcanic Wastes, Void Realm, Celestial Spire and Frostbound Forest. Each brings its own enemies, its own look, and a boss every 10 waves. Goblins, trolls, knights, vampires and necromancers all behave differently — and punish different mistakes. A BUILD WORTH OPTIMIZING • Workshop — permanent upgrades that stack run after run • Ascension — push past max level for bonuses that never reset • 10 active powers — Fireball, Frost, Berserker, Timewarp, Shadow Clone, Fire Nova and more, each upgradeable • Equipment — six rarities up to Mythic, with magical powers, sockets, merging and salvage • Runes — offense, defense, economy and utility, with synergy sets • Passive skills that unlock as you hit milestones Maxing an upgrade doesn't finish it. Ascend it for bonuses that ignore the cap, then raise the ascension ceiling itself through Awakening — and go again. The waves never stop, and your coin counter stops fitting normal notation long before you run out of things to buy. THE ENDGAME IS THE POINT • Sanctum — long-form rituals that reshape how your run behaves • Awakening — a deep node tree with real tier gates • Artifacts — craft them, attune them, complete the set bonuses • Jewelry — rings and amulets with procs that chain, burn and explode • Forge — turn raw materials into the gear you actually wanted • Trials — modifier runs for players who want the ceiling raised • Dark spells — a separate resource with its own risk COMPANIONS, SKINS, SEASONS Animated companions fight beside you and level from every wave survived. Hero skins bring their own look and bonuses. A season pass runs free and premium tracks side by side, with daily and weekly quests, and War Banners that snowball the longer you last. BUILT FAIR No energy bar. No paywall. No timer telling you to stop. Diamonds come from playing — chests, quests, milestones and optional ads. Everything in the game is reachable without spending a thing. BUILT TO LAST Cloud save across devices. An in-game encyclopedia for when you want the actual numbers instead of a guess. Runs that take minutes, and a progression curve measured in months. Actively developed — new worlds, new systems and new seasons keep landing while you're still climbing the last one. Hold the line.
Pulldown Paladin
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YOUR HERO LIVES IN YOUR NOTIFICATION BAR Pull down your notification shade and watch Kael, your paladin, battle in real time — even while you're busy with something else. Pulldown Paladin is an idle RPG built around one simple idea: your champion is always just one swipe away. HOW IT WORKS Kael fights automatically through endless zones and waves. The battle keeps running in a lightweight, battery-friendly background service, and your progress continues even when the app is closed. Come back later and collect everything you earned — long breaks even grant a return bonus. FEATURES - Notification-bar combat — a compact hero in the collapsed view, a full battle arena with HP bars when expanded - Offline progress — keep earning gold and XP while the app is closed - Endless zones and waves with tougher enemies and zone bosses - Weekly World Boss — chip away at a massive boss and unlock threshold rewards - Deep gear system — weapons, armor and trinkets from Common to Legendary, with set bonuses, elemental affinities and enchants - Forge — upgrade and enchant your equipment - Sockets and gems — fuse three matching gems into a stronger one - Skills, mastery tree, pets and dungeon expeditions - Rebirth, Echo tree and Ascension — layered permanent progression - Goals — long-term milestones with rewards - Daily Shop — three fresh deals every day - Achievements, daily quests, leaderboard and a season pass - Wardrobe — costumes and three characters (Warrior, Ninja, Mage) - Notification themes, auto-equip/auto-sell and a battery setting - Full English, Turkish, Russian and German support NO ADS Pulldown Paladin has no ads anywhere. Ever. OPTIONAL SUPPORTER PACK Love the game? The one-time Supporter Pack unlocks every costume (plus the exclusive Golden Guardian), the Ninja and Mage characters, 2× gold, a larger offline cap and automatic loot collection. It's completely optional — the full game is free. Download now, pull down, and let your paladin do the rest..
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pulldown Paladin at none against Idle Runner's shown. Idle Runner's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Idle Runner sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Pulldown Paladin sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Idle Runner ships an update every 3 days, Pulldown Paladin every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Idle Runner | Pulldown Paladin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (35 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 158 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | BLACKBYTE sp. z o. o. | Dogac Yagbasan |
In-app purchases
Idle Runner
- Hero's Starter Pack$0.99
- Season Pass$3.99
- 550 Diamonds$4.29
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- 1,200 Diamonds$8.49
- Quality of Life Pack$11.00
- 3,250 Diamonds$16.99
- Remove Ads$21.00
- Aether 1500$42.49
- Ultimate Pack$42.49
- Aether 2500$63.90
Pulldown Paladin
- Lionheart Costume$0.99
- Veteran Costume$0.99
- Glintplate Costume$0.99
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- Rotward Costume$0.99
- Duelist Costume$0.99
- Pale Hermit Costume$0.99
- Starter Pack$1.99
- Season Pass$1.99
- Skin Pack$1.99
- Supporter Pack$2.99
Questions
Is Idle Runner free?
Is Pulldown Paladin free?
Do Idle Runner or Pulldown Paladin have ads?
Which is updated more often, Idle Runner or Pulldown Paladin?
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