Comparison

Doug dug. vs Idle Acorns

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

Head to head
About

Doug dug.

Embark on a deep underground adventure to collect shimmering jewels and precious gold. Dig farther and deeper than your friends while avoiding colossal cave-ins, creepy monsters, and bottomless pits. Compete for the highest score and discover buried treasure.

Highlights
  • Dig deep underground
  • Collect jewels and gold
  • Avoid cave-ins
  • Fight monsters
  • Compete with friends
  • Discover buried treasure
Features
Read full description

Doug is a Dwarf. Doug loves digging. Well, actually he doesn't: what he likes is to find buried treasure. Anyway, one day Doug decided to gather as much treasure from as deep under the earth as he could go. So Doug dug. And he dug. And he fought monsters and avoided massive avalanches of falling rock. And then he dug some more. And he picked up lots of bling. Now it's your turn. Help Doug dig deep down under the earth in the quest for shimmering jewels and precious gold. Go farther and deeper than any of your friends. Find more gold than anyone in the world. Oh but watch out for colossal cave-ins. No they're really colossal—you won't believe it. And creepy monsters. And bottomless pits. Ah, don't worry it's just a game. Do you like Spelunky? Dig Dug? Well c'mon you like Minecraft don't you? Well then you'll like this. Plus it's cheaper. And better. Plus your friends are playing it and you don't want to be left out, do you? Or maybe no one is playing it, in which case you'll be the one who introduces all your friends to "Doug dug." Then everyone will say, "Hey look there goes *your name here* who introduced us to 'Doug dug' and who is therefore cooler than the rest of us because he/she discovered it first." One of those two great options is bound to happen. So what are you waiting for? Doug dug. Will you? Visit http://youtu.be/GZazFfw_O7A to see how it plays.

About

Idle Acorns

A classic idle clicker game with a charming narrative. Explore diverse environments, gather resources, craft items, and play mini-games. Enjoy a pure, ad-free experience with no in-app purchases or data mining.

Highlights
  • Resource gathering and upgrades
  • Crafting over 24 items
  • Fishing and cooking mini-game
  • Gardening and tree growing
  • Campfire for inviting characters
  • iCloud backup support
  • Game Center integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Inspired by the classics, Idle Acorns is a fun mobile clicker game that features no advertisements, no in-app purchases, and no data-mining. Inspired by the clicker games of the old internet, Idle Acorns brings a fun narrative to the mobile clicker arena but without getting weighed down by advertisements, in-app purchases or data mining. Explore the forest and ocean with Benny the squirrel and enjoy everything from fishing, to gardening. Unlock the campfire to invite new characters, collect resources, and craft items. Featuring 4 mini-games, iCloud backup support, Game Center support, iMessage sticker pack, and more! Like classic Idle games, Idle Acorns respects time travel. Please note that time travel will disable Game Center features. Shake the tree to gather acorns. Purchase upgrades and enlist scavengers to collect acorns while you are away! Sell your acorns, and unlock new areas in the shop. Speak with Benny the squirrel to navigate your adventure. Cast your line, and catch fish in the ocean. Open the map to visit your acres of land, or upgrade your offline collection. Unlock the campfire and invite all new characters. Trade resources and buy recipes to craft over 24 new items. - Forge diamonds and buy upgrades - Go fishing and cook fish - Buy land and grow trees - Unlock the campfire and trade resources - Buy recipes and craft items - 4 Mini-Games - Share resources with friends - Lots of character dialogue - Seasonal events - iCloud backup support - Game Center leaderboards and achievements - iMessage sticker pack IMPORTANT: iPhone SE (2016 First Generation) and iPod touch are not supported.

Screenshots

Doug dug.1 screens
Idle Acorns4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Doug dug. at Free against Idle Acorns's $1.99. Doug dug. also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 60%). Idle Acorns's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Doug dug. is free to download; Idle Acorns costs $1.99 up front. Doug dug. sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Idle Acorns asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Idle Acorns holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Acorns has 1.2K ratings behind it against 193, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of Doug dug.'s written reviews are positive against 60% of Idle Acorns's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Doug dug. versus Idle Acorns: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDoug dug.Idle Acorns
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (193 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.6% of reviews — better60.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1931.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#127 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.1
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB149 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Electric Toy Companyaleros.io LLC

Customer experience

Doug dug.

All ratings193 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews136 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative13.2%

Idle Acorns

All ratings1,216 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive60.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative29.6%

User reviews

Doug dug.

From 193 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Great for casual play
  • 💎 Charming retro-style graphics
  • 🕹️ Simple but engaging controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🤑 Paywall at 500m depth
  • 🤔 Unclear mechanics (e.g. 'trust fall')
  • 🎮 Imprecise swipe controls

Idle Acorns

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Charming and relaxing
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🎨 Pleasant aesthetics
  • 🕹️ Satisfying gameplay loop
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow progression and pacing
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics and lack of explanation
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔌 Limited offline progress
  • 🔢 Inconsistent upgrade costs

Bugs and requests

Doug dug.

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes after iOS updates
  • Stuck movement when digging left
  • Reward text blocking view

Requested features

4 requests
  • More power-ups and upgrades
  • Checkpoint system to avoid restarting
  • Ability to customize Doug's appearance
  • Multiplayer or co-op modes

Idle Acorns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tree disappearing issue
  • Bat not recognizing feather purchases
  • Zoom and UI issues on certain devices
  • Negative acorn balance after time manipulation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More late-game content
  • Improved UI and navigation
  • Better explanation of game mechanics
  • Increased offline progress

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Doug dug.

One-time1
  • Unlock Infinite Depths$0.99
None

Idle Acorns

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Doug dug. free?
Doug dug. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Acorns free?
Idle Acorns costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Doug dug. or Idle Acorns?
Idle Acorns is rated higher. Doug dug. averages 4.5 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while Idle Acorns averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Doug dug. or Idle Acorns have ads?
Neither Doug dug. nor Idle Acorns shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Doug dug. or Idle Acorns?
Doug dug. ships an update every 6 weeks, and Idle Acorns every 6 weeks. Most recently, Doug dug. was updated on October 15, 2026 and Idle Acorns on October 18, 2026.

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