# CivCrafter vs Monster Box

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Monster Box at none against CivCrafter's 6. CivCrafter's advantage is ratings volume (6K vs 212) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CivCrafter sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Monster Box asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for CivCrafter against 4.5 for Monster Box. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CivCrafter has 6K ratings behind it against 212, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of CivCrafter's written reviews are positive against 87% of Monster Box's.

CivCrafter ships an update every 5 weeks, Monster Box every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CivCrafter | Monster Box |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/civcrafter/id894778729/reviews)** | [4.5 (212 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-box-simple-strategy/id1163319075/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6K** | 212 |
| Positive reviews | **89.3% of reviews** | 87.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 179 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Naquatic](https://appshunter.io/developer/300409424) | [DAN-BALL](https://appshunter.io/developer/348592290) |

## What reviewers say

### CivCrafter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/civcrafter/id894778729)

Build a thriving kingdom with simple taps. Gather resources, raise an army, and engage in battles to conquer the world. Shape your legacy as a just or ruthless leader.

**Highlights:** Kingdom building, Resource gathering, Army building, Clan battles, World supremacy, Benevolent or tyrant ruler

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trade Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Gold | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| Goblet of Gold | $19.99 | one-time |
| Crown of Gold | $49.99 | one-time |
| Chest of Gold | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 💡 Unique civilization management mechanics
- 👍 Great time-killer game
- 👍 Relaxing and enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads and in-app purchases
- 🔋 Resources not collected when app is closed

**Reported bugs**

- Conquest rewards not working correctly
- Training troops not always successful
- Compatibility issues on certain devices
- Persistent audio issues after ads

**Requested features**

- Offline resource collection
- More frequent updates and new content
- Better clan/multiplayer features
- Improved tutorial and onboarding
- Customization options (e.g., skins, themes)


### Monster Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-box-simple-strategy/id1163319075)

Engage in strategic battles against waves of monsters. Upgrade your stickman characters with gold and jewels to enhance their power and defeat increasingly formidable foes. Enjoy a simple yet engaging combat experience.

**Highlights:** Monster battles, Stickman upgrades, Gold and jewel currency, Strategic combat, Monster evolution

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 😊 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Simple and easy to learn mechanics
- 🎮 Fun physics-based interactions with stick figures
- 💰 No pay-to-win mechanics
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game crashes occasionally
- 📏 UI elements too small on high-resolution phones
- 🎮 Limited character variety (only 4 classes)
- ⚠️ Game resets completely on game over
- 🔄 Repetitive gameplay loop

**Reported bugs**

- Stick figures drift to the right when revived repeatedly
- Game crashes for no apparent reason
- Certain medals are unobtainable (Ohagi medal)
- iPhone X notch cuts off progress bar
- Game data loss when too many monsters spawn

**Requested features**

- More character classes (especially from Stick Ranger)
- Landscape/horizontal mode support
- Zoom feature to see action better
- Cloud save and cross-device progress transfer
- Sandbox mode with infinite monsters


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CivCrafter free?

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

### Is Monster Box free?

Monster Box is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CivCrafter or Monster Box?

CivCrafter is rated higher. CivCrafter averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while Monster Box averages 4.5 from 212 ratings.

### Do CivCrafter or Monster Box have ads?

Both CivCrafter and Monster Box show ads.

### Which is updated more often, CivCrafter or Monster Box?

CivCrafter ships an update every 5 weeks, and Monster Box every 3 months. Most recently, CivCrafter was updated on October 26, 2026 and Monster Box on October 21, 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.*