# Cupcake Mania™ vs Rune

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Rune at 100% against Cupcake Mania™'s 54%. Rune also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and ads (none vs shown). Cupcake Mania™'s advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cupcake Mania™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Rune sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Rune holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cupcake Mania™ has 1.5K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Cupcake Mania™'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Rune's.

Cupcake Mania™ ships an update every 2 months, Rune weekly. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cupcake Mania™ | Rune |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-mania/id867833019/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rune-rush/id6504057690/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 54.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 197 MB | 419 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Storm8 Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/967465771) | [James Patterson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1611969119) |

## What reviewers say

### Cupcake Mania™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-mania/id867833019)

Embark on a sweet puzzle adventure matching delicious pastries to win. Fend off a hungry bear and use powerful boosts to conquer over 500 levels. Compete with friends for the highest score in this free-to-play game.

**Highlights:** Match and collect pastries, Over 500 levels, Fend off Bruno the Bear, Earn potent boosts, Create big matches for bonuses, Challenge Facebook friends

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 22 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Variety Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gems | $5.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 530 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1400 Gems | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎢 Exciting gameplay
- 🎨 Visually appealing
- ⏱️ Enjoyable time-passer
- 💪 Challenging levels
- 🕹️ Old-school fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📺 Excessive ads and intrusive pop-ups
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔄 Lack of progress sync and game resets
- 🔍 Difficult to earn rewards and gems

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashing after winning a level
- Screen orientation issues on newer devices
- Rewards not being awarded properly
- Levels becoming unbeatable due to glitches
- Saved progress not loading correctly

**Requested features**

- More frequent level updates
- Ability to reset progress and start over
- Better reward system and more free lives
- Improved ad experience and optional ad-free version
- Syncing progress across devices


### Rune

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rune-rush/id6504057690)

Embark on a magical adventure as a young girl transported to a castle filled with attacking creatures. Discover the power of "Fancy Rhabdomancy" to wield a wand and battle your way through this enchanted realm.

**Highlights:** Magical adventure gameplay, Spellcasting mechanics, Fantasy creatures, Story-driven experience, Interactive book discovery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Keep the lights on | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coffee for Team | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coffee and Pastry for Team | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cupcake Mania™ free?

Cupcake Mania™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rune free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cupcake Mania™ or Rune?

Rune is rated higher. Cupcake Mania™ averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Rune averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Cupcake Mania™ or Rune have ads?

Cupcake Mania™ shows ads; Rune does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cupcake Mania™ or Rune?

Cupcake Mania™ ships an update every 2 months, and Rune weekly. Most recently, Cupcake Mania™ was updated on October 23, 2026 and Rune on October 23, 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.*