# Hoplite vs Tower Swap

The clearest difference is price: Tower Swap at Free against Hoplite's $3.99. Tower Swap also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Hoplite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Tower Swap is free to download; Hoplite costs $3.99 up front. Tower Swap sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Hoplite asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Hoplite against 4.6 for Tower Swap. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hoplite has 791 ratings behind it against 76, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Hoplite's written reviews are positive against 75% of Tower Swap's.

Hoplite ships an update every 3 months, Tower Swap every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hoplite | Tower Swap |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (791 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoplite/id782438457/reviews)** | [4.6 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tower-swap/id1463356368/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **791** | 76 |
| Positive reviews | **90.8% of reviews** | 75.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#64** | — |
| Size | 39 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Douglas Cowley](https://appshunter.io/developer/782438460) | [Curtis Robinson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1463356367) |

## What reviewers say

### Hoplite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoplite/id782438457)

**Currently charting:** #64 Top Paid · Puzzle, #95 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Engage in challenging turn-based tactical combat on small maps. Strategize your moves carefully to overcome procedurally generated levels and unlock upgrades. Compete with friends on leaderboards and test your skills in daily challenges.

**Highlights:** Turn-based tactical movement, Procedurally generated levels, Quest mode with upgrades, Challenge mode with daily challenges, Leaderboard rankings, Hard but fair gameplay

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple yet deep gameplay
- 👍 Addictive and challenging
- 🕹️ Elegant and intuitive controls
- 💎 Excellent value for money
- 🔍 Surprising depth and strategy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or compatibility issues
- 🔧 Lack of landscape mode support
- 🔊 Mutes music/podcast playback
- 🕹️ Accidental moves due to controls

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch with certain OS versions
- Agility upgrade not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- More game modes or levels
- Customization options for the character
- Landscape mode support
- Ability to start at higher levels


### Tower Swap

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tower-swap/id1463356368)

This match-3 puzzle game combines strategic tower defense with a medieval theme. Match three stones to create towers and defend your castle from incoming dragons. Enjoy instant play with no signup and offline capabilities.

**Highlights:** Match-3 puzzle mechanics, Tower defense gameplay, Castle defense against dragons, Merge stones to build towers, Offline play available, Online high score competition, Portrait mode for one-handed play

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pile of Gold | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Gold | $1.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gold | $2.49 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| Five Barrels of Gold! | $9.99 | one-time |
| Five Barrels Of Gold | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hoplite free?

Hoplite costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Tower Swap free?

Tower Swap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hoplite or Tower Swap?

Hoplite is rated higher. Hoplite averages 4.7 out of 5 from 791 ratings, while Tower Swap averages 4.6 from 76 ratings.

### Do Hoplite or Tower Swap have ads?

Tower Swap shows ads; Hoplite does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hoplite or Tower Swap?

Hoplite ships an update every 3 months, and Tower Swap every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hoplite was updated on October 21, 2026 and Tower Swap on October 15, 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.*