# Idle Stories vs Lantern & Lode

The clearest difference is ads: Idle Stories at none against Lantern & Lode's shown. Lantern & Lode's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 days) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Stories sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Lantern & Lode sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Stories ships an update every 3 days, Lantern & Lode daily. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Stories | Lantern & Lode |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Daily** |
| Size | 161 MB | 333 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jaroslaw Karas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873177164) | [FURYLION LLC FZ](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812064707) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Stories

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-stories/id6782443680)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full story | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full Story | $1.99 | one-time |


### Lantern & Lode

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lantern-and-lode/id6817761546)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handful of Coals | $1.99 | one-time |
| Few Powder Kegs | $2.99 | one-time |
| Bucket of Coals | $4.99 | one-time |
| Last Foreman Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Powder Kegs | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bin of Coals | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $14.99 | one-time |
| Store of Powder Kegs | $19.99 | one-time |
| Seam Lantern | $19.99 | one-time |
| Cart of Crystals | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Stories free?

Idle Stories is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lantern & Lode free?

Lantern & Lode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Idle Stories or Lantern & Lode have ads?

Lantern & Lode shows ads; Idle Stories does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Stories or Lantern & Lode?

Idle Stories ships an update every 3 days, and Lantern & Lode daily. Most recently, Idle Stories was updated on October 25, 2026 and Lantern & Lode on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*