# Monument Valley vs STEM Defense

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: STEM Defense at none against Monument Valley's 1. STEM Defense also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Monument Valley's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $6.99) and chart position (#9 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Monument Valley costs $3.99 and STEM Defense $6.99 up front. Monument Valley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. STEM Defense asks for nothing beyond the download.

Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, STEM Defense every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monument Valley | STEM Defense |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$3.99** | $6.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (17K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monument-valley/id728293409/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **17K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 324 MB | 411 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [ustwo games](https://appshunter.io/developer/297468910) | [Andrea Carlomaria Sertorio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465623599) |

## What reviewers say

### Monument Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monument-valley/id728293409)

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Paid · Puzzle, #15 Top Paid · Adventure, #82 Top Paid · Games, #115 Top Paid (US App Store)

Explore a world of impossible architecture and optical illusions. Guide a silent princess through stunningly beautiful, hand-crafted monuments by manipulating the environment. Uncover hidden paths and solve puzzles in this surreal exploration game.

**Highlights:** Impossible architecture manipulation, Optical illusion puzzles, Surreal exploration, Hand-crafted worlds, Intuitive twist and drag controls, Reactive soundscape

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forgotten Shores | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Stunning visuals and graphics
- 🎶 Soothing and atmospheric audio
- 🧠 Clever and mind-bending puzzles
- 🕰️ Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕹️ Puzzles can be too easy at times
- ⏱️ Game is relatively short in length
- 💰 Expensive for the amount of content
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported

**Reported bugs**

- Levels not loading or freezing on certain devices
- Inability to purchase or access DLC/expansion content
- Compatibility issues with recent iOS updates

**Requested features**

- More levels and chapters to extend the gameplay
- Increased difficulty and challenge in later puzzles
- Ability to save progress and resume levels
- Support for newer device screen sizes and resolutions


### STEM Defense

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stem-defense/id6502572873)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monument Valley free?

Monument Valley costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is STEM Defense free?

STEM Defense costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Monument Valley or STEM Defense have ads?

Neither Monument Valley nor STEM Defense shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Monument Valley or STEM Defense?

Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, and STEM Defense every 3 days. Most recently, Monument Valley was updated on October 26, 2026 and STEM Defense on August 22, 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.*