# A Dark Room vs Lifeline

The clearest difference is price: A Dark Room at $1.99 against Lifeline's $2.99. Lifeline's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

A Dark Room costs $1.99 and Lifeline $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for A Dark Room against 4.7 for Lifeline. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 85% of Lifeline's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A Dark Room | Lifeline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-dark-room/id736683061/reviews)** | [4.7 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifeline-whiteout/id1094429166/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K | **4.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **92.7% of reviews** | 84.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#46** | #104 |
| Size | 103 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Amirali Rajan](https://appshunter.io/developer/736683064) | [3 Minute Games, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549997175) |

## What reviewers say

### A Dark Room

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-dark-room/id736683061)

**Currently charting:** #46 Top Paid · Role Playing, #78 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Awaken in a mysterious world with a throbbing head and blurry vision. Follow the voices' instructions to survive and explore this text-based adventure. Experience a game free from ads, loot boxes, in-app purchases, and tracking, fully playable with VoiceOver.

**Highlights:** Text-based adventure, Survival mechanics, Exploration, Resource management, VoiceOver compatible, No ads or IAP

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lifeline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifeline-whiteout/id1094429166)

**Currently charting:** #104 Top Paid · Role Playing, #194 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Guide a lost adventurer through a frozen wasteland by making critical choices. Your decisions shape the narrative and determine their survival and identity. Experience a gripping story with real-time notifications and multiple branching paths.

**Highlights:** Interactive narrative choices, Real-time notifications, Branching story paths, Character survival, Identity discovery, Multiple playthroughs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Captivating story
- 👍 Immersive experience
- 🤖 Interesting exploration of human vs. machine
- 🐶 Emotional connection to characters
- 💡 Innovative text-based gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Slow pacing with long wait times
- 🤔 Illusion of choice, linear story
- 🤯 Frustrating when protagonist makes poor decisions
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezing or crashing on certain devices
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- More branching storylines and endings
- Ability to skip or speed up waiting periods
- Improved accessibility for screen readers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A Dark Room free?

A Dark Room costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lifeline free?

Lifeline costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, A Dark Room or Lifeline?

A Dark Room is rated higher. A Dark Room averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Lifeline averages 4.7 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do A Dark Room or Lifeline have ads?

Neither A Dark Room nor Lifeline shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, A Dark Room or Lifeline?

A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, and Lifeline every 2 months. Most recently, A Dark Room was updated on November 1, 2026 and Lifeline on October 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, A Dark Room or Lifeline?

A Dark Room currently peaks at #46 in the App Store charts, and Lifeline at #104. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*