Comparison

Verbena vs Sortalis

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

Head to head
About

Verbena

A cozy word game that blends gardening with roguelike deckbuilding. Spell words to achieve seasonal goals, collect enchanted charms to create powerful combos, and nurture your garden through the changing seasons. Enjoy a relaxed, turn-based experience with no timers or ads.

Highlights
  • Word spelling and garden growing
  • Roguelike deckbuilding mechanics
  • Collect and combine enchanted charms
  • Seasonal progression with unique challenges
  • Daily challenges and leaderboards
  • Relaxed, turn-based gameplay
  • Cozy visuals and soothing soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Verbena — a cozy word roguelike. Spell words. Grow your garden. Chase the bloom. Verbena blends the calm of a cozy garden with the moreish "just one more run" of a roguelike deckbuilder. Draw a rack of letters, spell words to reach each season's goal, then visit the Garden Shop to collect enchanted charms — a Sunflower that adds to every word, a Dewdrop that rewards vowels, a Lucky Ladybug that multiplies your score. Stack charms into run-defining combos and see how many seasons your garden can survive. No timers. No pressure. No ads, ever. A fresh fusion — word game meets roguelike deckbuilder Collect from 17 charms (with a Charm Codex to complete) and build wild combos Special seasons add twists — gentler goals, bonus leaves, lusher words Daily Challenge — everyone gets the same letters; build your streak A garden that blooms through Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter as you climb Cozy visuals, a soothing synth soundtrack, and a relaxed turn-based pace Light & dark "night garden" themes — and it autosaves, so pick up anytime Universal — plays on iPhone and iPad Accessibility-minded: no timers, Relaxed difficulty, VoiceOver, readable-letters, reduce-motion, a Hint helper Game Center leaderboards & achievements, plus personal Records A 200,000-word dictionary Try 7 days free, then S$2.99/month — no ads, no tracking, cancel anytime Whether you have two minutes or twenty, plant a new garden and watch it bloom. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sortalis

A dice-building roguelike where you roll, score, and strategically upgrade your dice. Push your luck to earn winnings, then spend them on Charms and abilities to create powerful builds and overcome unique challenges.

Highlights
  • Dice-building roguelike gameplay
  • Strategic upgrades and Charms
  • Endless challenges with increasing difficulty
  • Over 150 discoverable upgrades
  • Multiplayer draft mode
  • Boss encounters that alter rules
Features
Read full description

Sortalis is a dice-building roguelike inspired by Farkle. Roll, score, and decide how far you’re willing to push your luck—then spend your winnings on Charms and upgrades that transform your dice, strengthen your strategy, and rewrite the rules. Every run becomes a new engine to build, exploit, and inevitably push a little too far. **What’s in the game?** • Endless challenges that grow tougher and demand new strategies • Over 150 upgrades to discover and combine into powerful builds • Rewards, unlocks, achievements, Dice Bags, and challenges to master • Multiplayer draft mode! **Roll, Set, or Bank** Roll and select scoring combos carefully. Roll again to make it bigger—or Farkle and lose the lot. Bank before your luck runs out. **Spend It in The Shop** Between Bouts, spend your winnings on Charms, Packs, Action Cards, and other upgrades. Don’t like what’s on the shelf? Redraw it and hunt for the piece your build needs. **Face The House** Every night ends with a boss that changes the rules. THE MISER, for example, won’t let you Bank until your Pot reaches 500. **Then Do It All Again** Every Bank and Farkle adds to your final score. Unlock 14 Dice Bags, tabletops, discover new combinations, and see how far you can push your next run.

Screenshots

Verbena4 screens
Sortalis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Verbena at none against Sortalis's 1. Verbena also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Sortalis's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Sortalis sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Verbena asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Verbena against 5.0 for Sortalis. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Verbena ships an update every 2 days, Sortalis fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Verbena versus Sortalis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVerbenaSortalis
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Number of ratings25 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB43 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNaizhong XuMichael Schmoyer

In-app purchases

None

Verbena

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sortalis

One-time1
  • Sortalis Full Game Unlock$7.99

Questions

Is Verbena free?
Verbena is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sortalis free?
Sortalis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Verbena or Sortalis?
Verbena and Sortalis are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Verbena or Sortalis have ads?
Neither Verbena nor Sortalis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Verbena or Sortalis?
Verbena ships an update every 2 days, and Sortalis fortnightly. Most recently, Verbena was updated on October 23, 2026 and Sortalis on October 25, 2026.

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