# Devil Shard vs Code Buster

The clearest difference is price: Code Buster at Free against Devil Shard's $0.99. Code Buster also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). Devil Shard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.5). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Code Buster is free to download; Devil Shard costs $0.99 up front. Devil Shard sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Code Buster sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Devil Shard ships an update every 7 months, Code Buster fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Devil Shard | Code Buster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devil-shard/id869735685/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **45** | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 47 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Game Stew](https://appshunter.io/developer/517689895) | [Davauhn Ellison](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822280129) |

## What reviewers say

### Devil Shard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devil-shard/id869735685)

Embark on a retro-style match-3 RPG adventure to stop a war and face a great evil. Plan strategic combos, unlock powerful allies, and collect diverse equipment. Conquer numerous enemies and stages to uncover the truth and achieve a true ending.

**Highlights:** Match-3 puzzle with RPG elements, Strategic tile swapping for combos, Unlock and summon 9 incarnations, Collect and upgrade 32 equipment, Battle 37 different enemies, Complete 8 story stages and a hidden stage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000G | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2500G | $1.99 | one-time |
| 7500G | $4.99 | one-time |
| 17500G | $9.99 | one-time |
| 40000G | $19.99 | one-time |
| 75000G | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Beautiful retro pixel art style
- 🎵 Great music and audio design
- ⚡ Simple yet challenging match-3 combat system
- 📱 Perfect for quick gaming sessions

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚙️ Excessive grinding required for progression
- 💀 Harsh death penalty resets all character progress
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics and aggressive monetization
- 🎲 Heavy reliance on RNG and luck
- 😤 Unfair difficulty spikes in later dungeons

**Reported bugs**

- Item selection scroll problem on iPhone 6s Plus (items display in middle of screen)
- Unable to equip, melt, or forge items on certain devices
- In-app purchase functionality broken
- Character equipment not persisting correctly
- No undo option for melted items

**Requested features**

- Swipeable match-3 controls (standard for genre)
- More customization options for character progression
- Persistent progress or checkpoints upon death
- Better equipment distribution and tile spawning
- Reduced grinding requirements


### Code Buster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/code-buster-shooting-game/id6792092393)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7.5K Honey | $0.99 | one-time |
| Claude Color Green | $1.99 | one-time |
| Claude Color Gold | $2.99 | one-time |
| Claude Purple Color | $3.99 | one-time |
| Claude Color Cyan | $4.99 | one-time |
| 40K Honey | $4.99 | one-time |
| 90K Honey | $9.99 | one-time |
| 200K Honey | $19.99 | one-time |
| 550K Honey | $49.99 | one-time |
| 1.25M Honey | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Devil Shard free?

Devil Shard costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Code Buster free?

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

### Do Devil Shard or Code Buster have ads?

Code Buster shows ads; Devil Shard does not.

### Which is updated more often, Devil Shard or Code Buster?

Devil Shard ships an update every 7 months, and Code Buster fortnightly. Most recently, Devil Shard was updated on November 5, 2026 and Code Buster on October 31, 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.*