Comparison

Runaway Ghost vs The Grinch

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

Head to head
About

Runaway Ghost

Navigate hand-drawn caverns as a ghost, flying, diving, and dodging obstacles. Collect coins and stars to unlock power-ups and new characters. Compete for high scores on global leaderboards in this endless scrolling adventure.

Highlights
  • One-touch controls
  • Four unique ghost characters
  • Five power-ups
  • 40 Game Center achievements
  • Global leaderboards
  • Cloud-free scores
Read full description

Fly through gorgeous hand-drawn caverns in a physics-driven arcade runner that's easy to learn and brutally hard to master. Tap and hold to rise, release to dive. Thread tight gaps between jagged walls, smash through weak obstacles, and scoop up coins and stars to unlock power-ups and four ghost characters. The cave never stops scrolling — and neither should you. Now optimized for the latest iPhone and iPad. FEATURES • One-touch controls: tap and hold to rise, release to fall • Four unique ghost characters, each with their own flair • Five power-ups: Bubble Shield, Speed Burst, Super Rocket, Tiny Mode, and Star Bonus • 40 Game Center achievements to chase • Global leaderboards for high score and total distance • Runs native on iPhone, iPad, and iPad Pro • Cloud-free: your scores stay yours POWER-UPS Grab Bubble Shield to bounce off walls. Speed Burst doubles your velocity. Super Rocket punches through weak obstacles. Tiny Mode shrinks your silhouette to slip through the narrowest gaps. Stars let you continue after a death — save them for the long runs. IN-APP PURCHASES (optional) • Remove Ads — banner-free gameplay • Coin packs — skip the grind to unlock characters and upgrades • Star packs — extra continues when you're chasing that record • Unlock All Characters — the whole roster in one tap PRIVACY Runaway Ghost uses Apple's standard advertising identifier for the optional banner ad at the top of menus, and nothing else. No gameplay data ever leaves your device. See our privacy policy for details.

About

The Grinch

Embark on a festive platforming adventure to steal Christmas as the Grinch. Use unique gadgets and stealth to outsmart the Whos and grow the Grinch's heart.

Highlights
  • Steal presents in Who-ville
  • Use Santa costume for stealth
  • Candy Cane Lasso for swinging
  • Speedy snowboard for races
  • Throw snowballs to freeze enemies
Features
Read full description

Have a great Grinchy time trying to steal Christmas in this festive platformer – and help the Grinch’s small heart grow a few sizes bigger along the way! Every Who down in Who-ville loves to sing, gift and feast, which are all of the things Grinch can’t stand in the least. So, help the Grinch and his dog Max set out to steal all the presents in Who-ville. You’ll have to be sneaky to avoid the bothersome babble of carol singers, the ever-eager Whos, and all of the tinsel, trimmings and trappings of the Christmas season. Thankfully, the Grinch has some wonderful, awful ideas – like a Santa costume for stealthy sneaking, a Candy Cane Lasso to swing around, a speedy snowboard that can reach special race areas, and more. And Grinch can throw snowballs to freeze any pesky creatures that get in his way. END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Official Dr. Seuss licensed App. Dr. Seuss Properties ™ & © 2024 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Runaway Ghost4 screens
The Grinch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Runaway Ghost at 67% against The Grinch's 43%. Runaway Ghost also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). The Grinch's advantage is ratings volume (89 vs 2) and device support. On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Runaway Ghost sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and The Grinch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Runaway Ghost holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Grinch has 89 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Runaway Ghost's written reviews are positive against 43% of The Grinch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runaway Ghost ships an update every 2 months, The Grinch every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Runaway Ghost versus The Grinch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunaway GhostThe Grinch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better4.2 (89 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings289 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
Ads—Yes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Devices—iPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB578 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteve ScottOutright Games Limited

Customer experience

Runaway Ghost

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

The Grinch

All ratings89 ratings
Positive82.0%
Neutral1.1%
Negative16.9%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral21.4%
Negative35.7%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Runaway Ghost

One-time10
  • 5,000 Coins$0.99
  • 5 Stars$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Unlock All Characters$2.99
  • 25,000 Coins$2.99
  • 50 Stars$4.99
  • 75,000 Coins$5.99
  • 300,000 Coins$14.99
  • 200 Stars$14.99
  • 500 Stars$29.99
2 purchases

The Grinch

Subscriptions1
  • VIP Pass$6.991 Month
One-time1
  • Full game experience$6.99

Questions

Is Runaway Ghost free?
Runaway Ghost is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Grinch free?
The Grinch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Runaway Ghost or The Grinch?
Runaway Ghost is rated higher. Runaway Ghost averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while The Grinch averages 4.2 from 89 ratings.
Which is updated more often, Runaway Ghost or The Grinch?
Runaway Ghost ships an update every 2 months, and The Grinch every 9 months. Most recently, Runaway Ghost was updated on October 15, 2026 and The Grinch on October 12, 2026.

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