# A Dark Room vs Escape Room

The clearest difference is price: Escape Room at Free against A Dark Room's $1.99. Escape Room also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). A Dark Room's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Escape Room is free to download; A Dark Room costs $1.99 up front. Escape Room sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. A Dark Room asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for A Dark Room against 4.8 for Escape Room. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 6.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 79% of Escape Room's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A Dark Room | Escape Room |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-dark-room/id736683061/reviews) | **[4.8 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-room-strange-case/id1545174203/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K | **6.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **92.7% of reviews** | 78.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#45** | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 293 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Amirali Rajan](https://appshunter.io/developer/736683064) | [LABELEDMAN LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1545174205) |

## What reviewers say

### A Dark Room

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

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Paid · Role Playing, #79 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Experience a minimalist text-based adventure where you must survive and build a community. This award-winning game offers a deep narrative and engaging gameplay without any in-app purchases or ads.

**Highlights:** Text-based survival gameplay, Community building mechanics, Minimalist interface, VoiceOver playable, No ads or in-app purchases, Retro gaming feel

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Escape Room

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-room-strange-case/id1545174203)

Investigate a mysterious case involving grave defilement and uncover the identity of the "Alchemist." Solve challenging puzzles and escape traps in this free adventure game with a unique, creepy graphic style and atmosphere. No network connection is required to play.

**Highlights:** Investigate mysterious cases, Solve challenging puzzles, Unique creepy graphic style, Mysterious characters, No network connection needed, No hidden fees

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove all ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove all ads | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game
- 🤔 Challenging puzzles
- 🎨 Interesting art style
- 💡 Unique gameplay mechanics
- 🕹️ Enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🤔 Illogical puzzles
- 💰 Excessive ads/in-app purchases
- 🤯 Frustrating difficulty level

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes at start of Chapter 3
- Puzzle elements not working as expected
- Inventory issues and missing items

**Requested features**

- More chapters/levels
- Improved hints and guidance
- Ability to reset progress
- Optimization for older devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A Dark Room free?

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

### Is Escape Room free?

Escape Room is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Escape Room is rated higher. A Dark Room averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Escape Room averages 4.8 from 6.7K ratings.

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

Escape Room shows ads; A Dark Room does not.

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

A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, and Escape Room every 2 months. Most recently, A Dark Room was updated on November 13, 2026 and Escape Room on November 12, 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.*