Comparison

Idle Space Mining vs Emberforge

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

Head to head
About

Idle Space Mining

Build and expand a space mining empire through incremental upgrades and strategic choices. Reset your progress to gain permanent bonuses and achieve ultimate power. Earn resources even while offline.

Highlights
  • Incremental mining empire building
  • Strategic doctrine choices
  • Prestige system with Dark Matter
  • Permanent upgrades via Star Shards
  • Offline earnings
  • Challenging game modes
  • Comet catching events
Features
Read full description

Tap an asteroid. Build a mining empire. Then destroy it — and come back stronger. IDLE SPACE MINING is an idle game about scale. You start hand-mining ore from a bare rock. You end up rewriting local physics so the ore was always there. BUILD THE COLONY Twenty-six machines, from a rickety Drone Hangar to the Terminus Drillhead. Each one runs its own harvest cycle — watch the bars fill, watch the ore land. Every 10 you own doubles that machine's output, and every tier lifts the one beneath it. CHOOSE YOUR DOCTRINE At each tier you pick ONE of three paths and forfeit the other two. Triple your early generators, or cut the price of everything, or tighten your milestones. There is no right answer — and you re-decide every single run. ASCEND When growth stalls, collapse the whole colony into a singularity. You lose your ore, your generators, your tech. You keep DARK MATTER — and every scrap you have ever earned makes you permanently stronger. Dark Matter is deliberately scarce. Each one matters. HEAT DEATH Then there's the prestige above prestige. Let the universe run down, trade everything — even your Dark Matter — for Star Shards, and buy upgrades that survive the end of everything. TAKE ON CHALLENGES Mine with no hands. Run with triple-length cycles. Build with only three generator types. Beat one and keep the bonus forever. CATCH COMETS Comets drift past while you play. Tap one for a lump of ore or a burst of production. EARN WHILE YOU SLEEP Your colony keeps mining when the app is closed. Come back to a pile. One optional ad, and only if you want it: watch a Supply Drop for double production for four hours. No banners, no interstitials, nothing that interrupts play. No energy timers, no countdown "offers". Just numbers going up, forever.

About

Emberforge

Features
Read full description

Light the coals. Raise your hammer. Build the greatest forge the realm has ever known. Emberforge is a cozy idle blacksmith game: start with one dented copper anvil and grow into a legend - smelters, enchanting tables, dragonfire kilns, and finally the Anvil of Creation itself. FORGE YOUR EMPIRE - 13 stations to unlock, from Copper Anvil to the Anvil of Creation - Milestone bonuses DOUBLE a station's output as your collection grows - 26 upgrades that reshape your economy - Forge 24 legendary Masterworks, one per Reforge, each a permanent boost - EMBERFEST: every weekend, all income x2 EARNS WHILE YOU'RE AWAY Your forge keeps burning when the app is closed. Come back to a pile of gold - extend your offline cap with upgrades for even bigger welcome-backs. REFORGE YOUR LEGACY Prestige to earn Embers: permanent income bonuses that make every new run faster and bigger than the last, then spend them in the Ember Shop on permanent perks. FREE DAILY REWARDS Three Forge Contracts every day plus a login streak, both paying Gems at no cost. 14 achievements each pay Gems too. PLAYS OFFLINE No internet needed, no account, no ads. Ever. FREE TO PLAY, WITH OPTIONAL IN-APP PURCHASES Emberforge is free to download, and the entire game can be played without spending money. The items below are completely OPTIONAL and each one REQUIRES A SEPARATE IN-APP PURCHASE: - Gem packs - US$1.99 to US$49.99 - one-time purchases of in-game Gems - Starter Pack - US$2.99 - one-time purchase of in-game Gems - Golden Anvil - US$4.99 - one-time purchase that permanently doubles gold - Master Smith Pass - US$6.99 per month - auto-renewing subscription MASTER SMITH PASS (AUTO-RENEWING SUBSCRIPTION - PAID) This is a paid subscription and is not included with the free app. - Title: Master Smith Pass - Length: 1 month - Price: US$6.99 per month (price may vary by region) - Includes, while active: +50% income, offline earnings cap raised to 24 hours, and 30 Gems every day Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your App Store account settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://emberforge.greylineinteractive.com/privacy Use of the iOS app is licensed under Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.

Screenshots

Idle Space Mining4 screens
Emberforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Space Mining at none against Emberforge's 8. Emberforge's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price 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. Emberforge sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Idle Space Mining asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Idle Space Mining versus Emberforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle Space MiningEmberforge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperISAAC MICHAEL FRETTGrey Line Interactive LLC

In-app purchases

None

Idle Space Mining

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Emberforge

Subscriptions1
  • VIP Monthly$6.991 Month
One-time7
  • Gems Small$1.99
  • Starter Pack$2.99
  • Gems Medium$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Golden Anvil$4.99
  • Gems Large$9.99
  • Gems Huge$19.99
  • Gems Mega$49.99

Questions

Is Idle Space Mining free?
Idle Space Mining is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Emberforge free?
Emberforge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Idle Space Mining or Emberforge have ads?
Idle Space Mining shows ads; Emberforge does not.

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