Comparison

PickCrafter vs Forge Ahead

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

Head to head
About

PickCrafter

An idle crafting clicker game where you tap to mine blocks, upgrade your pickaxe, and collect resources. Progress even while offline by unlocking biomes, artifacts, and abilities. Compete with friends and achieve milestones in this endless digging adventure.

Highlights
  • Idle clicker gameplay
  • Incremental upgrades
  • Craft and upgrade pickaxes
  • Mine blocks while idle or offline
  • Unlock biomes and artifacts
  • Daily rewards and achievements
Features
Read full description

PickCrafter is an incremental idle crafting clicker game that lets you take control of a pickaxe and dig deep into the biomes. Even while idle or offline! Just start tapping to mine. Upgrade Legendary Pickaxes, collect all the blocks and gear, and unlock all the Biomes. Digging for gold has never been more exciting! Tap to start, then upgrade your Artifacts and Abilities to mine deeper, faster. Download now and start mining for gold in one of the most addicting incremental idle crafting clicker games! How far can you dig? PickCrafter FEATURES Idle Clicker Gameplay * Tap: Swing your pickaxe and Mine all the 3D blocks! * Swing: Break blocks this way too! * Mine: Earn PPS and craft blocks! Incremental Upgrades * Hopper collects blocks while idle or offline! * Use Abilities and Artifacts to boost your Strength * Mythical Blocks and Machines help you! Upgrade Your Pickaxe * Craft and upgrade your Pickaxes * Defeat bosses, craft their special items and earn Trophies! * Prestige to reach new heights Idle Mining * Earn resources even when you're not playing * Daily Rewards - enjoy cool bonuses from the Daily Reward system * Over 90 achievements to unlock * Battle with your friends and rank up on the leaderboards * No internet connection necessary * No need for mods, launcher, or PE PickCrafter is the perfect incremental clicker idle game for fans of endless fun. Tap the day away digging for gold, diamonds, amethyst, and more! Find companions, and craft items to boost your PPS - get digging today! Download now to unleash your inner miner in PickCrafter! Join your PickCrafter friends on Discord, Facebook & Twitter https://discord.gg/pickcrafter https://twitter.com/pickcraftergame Need help? Visit our support page https://fiveamp.com/pickcrafter/support Note: PickCrafter is free to play tap game and all items can be obtained through standard gameplay, however the option to purchase content using real money exists. PickCrafter offers a paid Elite membership on top of other great gameplay features. Elite members have access to a unique Pickaxe, Runic awarded daily, exclusive store bonuses, and much more. Elite Membership - Monthly is priced at $9.99 /month and lasts for 31 days. Elite Membership - Annual is priced at $99.99 /year and lasts for 365 days. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of the purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off in at least 24-hours before the end of the current payment period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://fiveamp.com/policy Terms of Use: https://fiveamp.com/terms

About

Forge Ahead

Mine exotic metals and precious gems, then hammer them into beautifully crafted swords. Run your own armory to display your creations and earn money to unlock even better materials and designs. Enjoy addictive gameplay that lets you earn even when offline.

Highlights
  • Mine exotic metals and gems
  • Hammer molten metal into swords
  • Run your own armory
  • Unlock new materials and designs
  • Earn money offline
  • Addictive tap-based mechanics
Read full description

Strap on your boots and forge ahead! Mine metals, hammer them into shape, and forge the best swords you can! This is not your normal simulation game. Break rocks to discover exotic gems. Forge them into beautiful swords and show them off in your armory. The better the materials you find, the more money you make! The more money you make, the better the swords you can unlock. You will be the envy of every blacksmith in the kingdom. Stop what you are doing now, it’s hammer time! Game Features: 1. Simple but addicting mechanics Tap away at the rocks. Discover precious metals. Hammer the molten metal into sharp shiny swords. 2. Run your own Armory Show off the swords you craft on the weapons rack. Can you make the best? 3. Keep them coming! Keep finding new gems to make better swords. The better the sword the more you make! 4. Earn offline No need to always be on. You still earn money as you are signed off. Discover your inner blacksmith and forge the best swords. Watch the molten metal cool off into your beautiful creations. Good luck putting down Forge Ahead! Visit https://lionstudios.cc/contact-us/ if have any feedback, need help on beating a level or have any awesome ideas you would like to see in the game! From the Studio that brought you Happy Glass, Flip Trickster and Love Balls! Follow us to get news and updates on our other Award Winning titles; https://lionstudios.cc/ Facebook.com/LionStudios.cc Instagram.com/LionStudioscc Twitter.com/LionStudiosCC Youtube.com/c/LionStudiosCC

Screenshots

PickCrafter4 screens
Forge Ahead4 screens

Verdict

The call

PickCrafter and Forge Ahead both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of PickCrafter's written reviews are positive against 41% of Forge Ahead's. Forge Ahead's advantage is ratings volume (85K vs 14K) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. PickCrafter sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Forge Ahead sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PickCrafter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forge Ahead has 85K ratings behind it against 14K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of PickCrafter's written reviews are positive against 41% of Forge Ahead's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PickCrafter versus Forge Ahead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPickCrafterForge Ahead
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (14K ratings) — better4.6 (85K ratings)
Positive reviews91.8% of reviews — better41.1% of reviews
Number of ratings14K85K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size267 MB254 MB
Age rating+412+
DeveloperFiveampLion Studios

Customer experience

PickCrafter

All ratings13,706 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,282 reviews
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.2%

Forge Ahead

All ratings85,042 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews560 reviews
Positive41.1%
Neutral16.4%
Negative42.5%

User reviews

PickCrafter

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Satisfying mining experience
  • 💡 Interesting biome progression
  • 🎨 Minecraft-inspired visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • ⏱️ Slow progression without in-app purchases
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Lack of clear instructions

Forge Ahead

From 85K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Satisfying forging process
  • 🚀 Casual time-killer

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Lack of clarity on ore values
  • 🔍 Repetitive and limited gameplay
  • 💸 Excessive ads and monetization
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

Bugs and requests

PickCrafter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Teleportation spell not working as intended
  • Chest timers not functioning correctly
  • Pickaxe abilities not syncing properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more biomes and bosses
  • Improve the prestige system
  • Allow crafting of any pickaxe
  • Add more customization options

Forge Ahead

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inability to store/save forged swords
  • Customers not appearing consistently

Requested features

5 requests
  • More ore/material variety and selection
  • Additional weapon types beyond swords
  • Ability to discard unwanted ores
  • More detailed progression and upgrades
  • Improved customer/quest system

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PickCrafter

Subscriptions1
  • Elite Membership - Monthly$9.991 Month
One-time9
  • Large Chest$0.99
  • B & W Pickaxe$0.99
  • Chest Pickaxe$0.99
Show 6 more
  • Special Offer - Pickaxe Chest$0.99
  • Pile of Runic$2.99
  • Special Offer$4.99
  • Greater Special Offer$6.99
  • Bag of Runic$8.99
  • Buckets of Runic$19.99
6 purchases

Forge Ahead

One-time6
  • Tier 1 Coins$4.99
  • Remove Ads$4.99
  • Remove Upgrade Ads$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Tier 2 Coins$6.99
  • Starter Pack$8.99
  • Tier 3 Coins$9.99

Questions

Is PickCrafter free?
PickCrafter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forge Ahead free?
Forge Ahead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PickCrafter or Forge Ahead?
PickCrafter is rated higher. PickCrafter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Forge Ahead averages 4.6 from 85K ratings.
Do PickCrafter or Forge Ahead have ads?
Both PickCrafter and Forge Ahead show ads.
Which is updated more often, PickCrafter or Forge Ahead?
PickCrafter ships an update monthly, and Forge Ahead monthly. Most recently, PickCrafter was updated on November 6, 2026 and Forge Ahead on November 7, 2026.

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