# Plantera vs Swarm Simulator

The clearest difference is ads: Plantera at none against Swarm Simulator's shown. Plantera also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 12.0). Swarm Simulator's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 654). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plantera sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Swarm Simulator sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Plantera against 4.7 for Swarm Simulator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 654 and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Plantera's written reviews are positive against 78% of Swarm Simulator's.

Plantera ships an update every 2 months, Swarm Simulator every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plantera | Swarm Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (654 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plantera-idle-farm-clicker/id894342370/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swarm-simulator-evolution/id1320056680/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 654 | **2.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **93.6% of reviews** | 78.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 94 MB | 158 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VaragtP Studios AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/596421269) | [Iron Horse Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1281721366) |

## What reviewers say

### Plantera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plantera-idle-farm-clicker/id894342370)

Cultivate a vibrant garden, growing plants, trees, and raising animals. Automate your farm with helpful creatures that work even when you're offline. Defend your harvest from pests and expand your green paradise.

**Highlights:** Build and expand your garden, Grow plants, bushes, and trees, Raise various animals, Automated helpers for resource collection, Offline progress and gold accumulation, Defend garden from critters, Unlock new flora and fauna

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guard Dog | $0.99 | one-time |
| Alarm Clock | $0.99 | one-time |
| Alarm Clock | $1.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $1.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $2.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $3.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $4.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $5.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $6.99 | one-time |
| Manure | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and fun
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Relaxing experience
- 👍 Great for passing time
- 👍 Polished and well-made

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Repetitive after a while
- 🐛 Lack of content/updates
- 🐛 Compatibility issues on larger screens
- 💰 In-app purchases are required for some features

**Reported bugs**

- Progress loss/reset issues
- Crashes or freezes on certain devices

**Requested features**

- More plants, animals, and content to unlock
- Ability to customize/personalize the farm
- Offline progress/earnings improvements
- Expanded gameplay beyond just tapping


### Swarm Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swarm-simulator-evolution/id1320056680)

Evolve your insect colony from simple larvae to powerful hive minds in this 3D incremental idle clicker game. Conquer territory, sacrifice units for growth, and ascend to unlock new mutations and expand your swarm across the universe.

**Highlights:** Incremental idle clicker gameplay, Endless progression and unit evolution, Idle mode for offline growth, Ascend system with new mutations, All-new 3D graphics and units, Elixir buffs and Golden Bug bonuses

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pouch of Crystals | $4.99 | one-time |
| Elixir Mega Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Swarm Supporter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Crystals | $9.99 | one-time |
| Crystalline King Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Arcane Amplifier Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Super Shards Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Challenge Crusher Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Crystals | $19.99 | one-time |
| Elixir Ultra Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| Storehouse of Crystals | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 💡 Unique incremental mechanics
- 🔒 Minimal ads, not intrusive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches in recent updates
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch
- Stuck on loading screen
- Incorrect display of resources and upgrades
- Issues with cloud save functionality

**Requested features**

- More content and updates
- Offline mode
- Customization options
- Improved progression and endgame


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plantera free?

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

### Is Swarm Simulator free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Plantera or Swarm Simulator?

Plantera is rated higher. Plantera averages 4.8 out of 5 from 654 ratings, while Swarm Simulator averages 4.7 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Plantera or Swarm Simulator have ads?

Swarm Simulator shows ads; Plantera does not.

### Which is updated more often, Plantera or Swarm Simulator?

Plantera ships an update every 2 months, and Swarm Simulator every 9 days. Most recently, Plantera was updated on September 19, 2026 and Swarm Simulator on September 22, 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.*