John Mad Run vs Vault!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
John Mad Run
Embark on a relentless fight for survival as John, a target with deadly skills. Wield powerful weapons like a laser and sword to decimate hordes of enemies, master your reflexes to dodge traps, and leave a trail of bloody destruction.
- Intense run'n'gun gameplay
- Unlockable laser weapon
- Melee combat with a sword
- Dodge deadly traps
- High-octane enemy elimination
Read full descriptionHide full description
John knows far too much to be left alive. So they are coming for him. But what they don't know is that he's not easy meat. Join John in his fight to the death. Unlock the insanely powerful laser to eliminate dozens of enemies at a time. Feel the absolute might of a sword - the weapon that never jams, never has to be reloaded and is always ready. Train your dexterity, avoid deadly traps and rend your enemies into bloody pieces. ○○○ More from Happymagenta: · Spyglass - outdoor GPS with augmented reality · Scany - WiFi scanner and network utility
Vault!
Experience thrilling pole vaulting with intuitive tap-and-hold controls. Navigate challenging environments, collect coins to unlock characters, and compete for the highest score. Enjoy endless arcade fun with physics-based challenges.
- Intuitive single-touch pole vaulting
- Physics-based arcade action
- Unlockable unique characters
- Game Center support for competition
- Coin collection for upgrades
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pole vaulting has never been so fun! Cascading cliffs, huge bouncy springs and those infuriating red balls! How far can you go? How long will you last? Can you get the highest score? Classic intuitive physics arcade action with easy to use, hard to master tap and hold controls, mean that things aren't as simple as they seem. Features: - Intuitive single touch pole vaulting gameplay. - Simple concept that anyone can grasp! - Collect coins to unlock unique characters - Full game centre support to compete with friends and foes Important information This game contains third party advertising which can be removed via a one time IAP. This game contains coins which can be collected within the game for free, bought with real money or via earned via promotions. This game contains cross promotion for other Nitrome games and this is not removed with the IAP for removal of ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: John Mad Run at none against Vault!'s 4. John Mad Run also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). Vault!'s advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (77 vs 12). On price, update cadence and device support 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
Both are free to download. Vault! sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. John Mad Run asks for nothing beyond the download.
Vault! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vault! has 77 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of John Mad Run's written reviews are positive against 71% of Vault!'s.
John Mad Run ships an update every 3 months, Vault! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | John Mad Run | Vault! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (12 ratings) | 4.5 (77 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.2% of reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 77 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 121 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Happymagenta UAB | Nitrome |
Customer experience
John Mad Run
Vault!
User reviews
John Mad Run
From 12 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Retro pixel art style with good graphics
- 🎵 Great soundtrack and audio design
- 💰 Minimal in-app purchases and ads
- ⚡ Simple and easy to pick up controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Screen display issues (half screen visibility)
- 🐛 Unresponsive and buggy controls
- 🐛 Weapon firing lag and unresponsiveness
- 🐛 Secondary weapon (knife/sword) stops working mid-run
Vault!
From 77 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Retro graphics and animations
- 💡 Innovative pole vaulting mechanic
- 🎉 Great time-waster game
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 💰 Intrusive ads and in-app purchases
- 🔁 Lack of content variety after unlocking all characters
Bugs and requests
John Mad Run
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes on launch (iOS 17)
- Screen only displays half the game interface
- Controls unresponsive to swipe inputs
- Firing mechanism requires rapid tapping to work
- Knife/sword stops functioning after 2-3 runs
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Sound cuts out intermittently
- Jump and movement inputs not registering
- Progress and high scores not saving
- Weapons not unlocking after Facebook likes
- Game glitches when clicking ads
- Save data deleted after updates
- Secondary weapon control loss on restart
- Enemies shooting before appearing on screen
Requested features
11 requests- More weapons and gun variety
- Character customization and outfit options
- Power-ups and special abilities
- Boss encounters and story mode
- Multiple level maps and scenery changes
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Armor and health upgrades
- Skill tree system
- Different difficulty levels
- Invincibility frames after getting hit
- Button controls as alternative to swipe gestures
- Weapon selection library system
Vault!
Reported bugs
3 issues- Pole glitching out after continuing from an ad
- Respawning in unwinnable positions after continuing
- Invisible walls causing unexpected deaths
Requested features
4 requests- More playable characters with unique abilities
- Different game modes (e.g., time trial, challenges)
- Varied environments and level designs
- Customization options for the vaulting pole
In-app purchases
John Mad Run
No in-app purchases
Vault!
- Buy Coins 1$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Buy Coins 2$2.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Buy Coins 3$3.99
