Comparison

Small Fry vs Idle Drops

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

Head to head
About

Small Fry

Embark on a thrilling ocean adventure as a tiny fish evading predators and obstacles. Navigate through water, air, and space with simple controls, utilizing power-ups and completing challenges. Compete with others on leaderboards and customize your character.

Highlights
  • One-touch controls
  • Seamless water, air, and space transitions
  • Upgradable power-ups
  • 60+ challenges
  • Achievements and leaderboards
  • Character customization
Features
Read full description

The chase is on! Swim for your life as the tiny fish Finley "Small Fry" Fryer in this thrilling and action packed ocean adventure. Swim, jump and even float though space to escape from all the perils of the seven seas. Avoid blazing fast swordfish, electric jellyfish, ink squirting octopuses, asteroids and more. How long can you out-swim the dastardly shark, Wallace "Big Mack" Mackenzie? FEATURES: - Simple one touch controls: touch and hold to dive, release to swim up - An all star cast of awesome sea creatures - Transition seamlessly from water to air to space - Plays like 3 unique games stacked on top of each other! - Awesome boosts and upgradable power-ups - 60+ challenges to complete - Achievements and leaderboards - Customize Small Fry with an assortment of hats, glasses and more!

About

Idle Drops

Collect colorful drops in this visually stunning incremental game with a deep sci-fi narrative. Explore a realm beyond the mirage and uncover the truth of your existence through a relaxing yet addictive experience.

Highlights
  • Visually focused incremental gameplay
  • Drop collection and cascade creation
  • Deep sci-fi story and lore
  • Prestige system for advancement
  • Beautiful soundtrack and UI
  • No forced ads
Features
Read full description

Idle Drops is a visually focused incremental game where you collect colorful drops and create a cascade of chaos. But beneath the surface, there is something more. Discover the truth of your existence as you delve deep into realm beyond the mirage. Features: - Beautiful and mesmerizing soundtrack - Multiple ways to advance, including prestige system - Highly polished UI and animations - Deep sci-fi story - No forced ads Idle Drops is a game built in the Judicator Jane LitRPG universe.

Screenshots

Small Fry4 screens
Idle Drops4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Small Fry at none against Idle Drops's shown. Small Fry also leads on iOS requirement (5.0 vs 16.0). Idle Drops's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (813 vs 219). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Small Fry sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Idle Drops sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Small Fry against 4.3 for Idle Drops. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 219 and 813 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Small Fry's written reviews are positive against 62% of Idle Drops's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Small Fry ships an update every 2 months, Idle Drops every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Small Fry versus Idle Drops: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmall FryIdle Drops
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (219 ratings)4.3 (813 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.7% of reviews — better62.1% of reviews
Number of ratings219813 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS5.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB266 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNoodlecakeStudio Rouleau Inc

Customer experience

Small Fry

All ratings217 ratings
Positive77.0%
Neutral13.4%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews181 reviews
Positive65.7%
Neutral12.2%
Negative22.1%

Idle Drops

All ratings813 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative23.6%

User reviews

Small Fry

From 219 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Excellent graphics and visual design
  • ✨ Smooth and responsive gameplay
  • 🆓 No mandatory purchases to progress
  • 🎯 Clever strategic elements (water/air/space divisions)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and force closes
  • 📱 Incompatible with newer iOS versions
  • 📺 Excessive ads throughout gameplay
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🎮 Repetitive gameplay and limited content variety

Idle Drops

From 813 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Relaxing gameplay
  • 🚀 Addictive experience
  • 💡 Interesting story/lore
  • 🎨 Great visuals and music

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Frequent ads
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔋 Progress loss issues
  • 📊 Slow progression at higher levels

Bugs and requests

Small Fry

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on startup or during gameplay
  • Force close on iOS 6.1.5 and older versions
  • Incompatible with iOS 11 and newer versions
  • Black screen at loading
  • In-app purchase transactions not processing
Show 4 more
  • App won't open on certain devices
  • Lag when water turns red
  • Random collision detection with fish
  • Shark speed inconsistencies with power-ups

Requested features

8 requests
  • Update app for current iOS versions and iPad compatibility
  • Option to remove ads permanently
  • More diverse enemies and environmental variations
  • Improved control mechanics and responsiveness
  • New game modes and challenges
Show 3 more
  • Wider field of view for better visibility
  • Reduce power-up costs
  • Reduce repetitive steps in gameplay loops

Idle Drops

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Ads causing game freezes
  • Losing progress after prestiging
  • Inconsistent ad reward functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more level variety
  • Improve ad implementation
  • Implement cloud save/sync
  • Expand on the story/lore

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Small Fry

One-time9
  • 2,000 Clam Pack$0.99
  • 10 Pearl Pack$0.99
  • Clam Doubler$3.99
Show 6 more
  • 12,000 Clam Pack$4.99
  • 60 Pearl Pack$4.99
  • 30,000 Clam Pack$9.99
  • 150 Pearl Pack$9.99
  • 100,000 Clam Pack$19.99
  • 500 Pearl Pack$19.99
10 purchases

Idle Drops

One-time10
  • 10 Diamonds$0.99
  • Dragon Drop$0.99
  • Ad-Free Collect x2$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Ad-Free Drops x2 and Multi x2$2.99
  • 55 Diamonds$4.99
  • Mega Pack Remove Ads$6.99
  • Mega Pack$6.99
  • 120 Diamonds$9.99
  • 250 Diamonds$19.99

Questions

Is Small Fry free?
Small Fry is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Drops free?
Idle Drops is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Small Fry or Idle Drops?
Idle Drops is rated higher. Small Fry averages 4.2 out of 5 from 219 ratings, while Idle Drops averages 4.3 from 813 ratings.
Do Small Fry or Idle Drops have ads?
Idle Drops shows ads; Small Fry does not.
Which is updated more often, Small Fry or Idle Drops?
Small Fry ships an update every 2 months, and Idle Drops every 9 days. Most recently, Small Fry was updated on November 4, 2026 and Idle Drops on November 11, 2026.

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