# Plants VS Bugs vs Plants vs Goblins 4

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plants vs Goblins 4 at none against Plants VS Bugs's 7. Plants vs Goblins 4 also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Plants VS Bugs's advantage is iOS requirement (7.1 vs 12.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plants VS Bugs sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Plants vs Goblins 4 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Plants VS Bugs holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 175 and 137 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Plants VS Bugs's written reviews are positive against 32% of Plants vs Goblins 4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Plants VS Bugs ships an update every 3 weeks, Plants vs Goblins 4 every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plants VS Bugs | Plants vs Goblins 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.8 (175 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plants-vs-bugs/id901742238/reviews)** | [2.6 (137 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plants-vs-goblins-4/id1542460443/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **175** | 137 |
| Positive reviews | 28.3% of reviews | **31.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 82 MB | 272 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.1** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [驰国 马](https://appshunter.io/developer/541320268) | [Aleksey Tselinko](https://appshunter.io/developer/806103660) |

## What reviewers say

### Plants VS Bugs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plants-vs-bugs/id901742238)

Engage in a strategic tower defense game where you command plants to defend your homeland or bugs to attack enemy territories. Features real-time online battles, a vast collection of unique plants and bugs to train, and numerous challenging levels.

**Highlights:** Real-time networking battles, Collect and train 24 plant types, Collect and train 18 bug types, Challenging game levels, Customizable defensive and attack formations, Daily tasks and ranking systems

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Little box of gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Half box of gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gift Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Monthly Card Of 300 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Monthly Card Of Double EXP | $0.99 | one-time |
| Big box of gems | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full box of gems | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Unique PvZ twist with dual-team gameplay
- 🌱 Interesting plant-growing mechanic
- 👥 Multiplayer/online competitive features
- 🎨 Cute graphics and character names
- 😊 Addictive gameplay when functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏳ Extremely long loading times
- 🐛 Gets stuck on loading/title screen
- 📋 Derivative of Plants vs Zombies
- 🔧 Numerous glitches and bugs
- 💪 Plants are too weak compared to bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Loading screen hangs indefinitely
- Game crashes during loading
- Title screen never progresses
- Loading bar resets when complete
- Connection failures after loading completes

**Requested features**

- Fix loading screen performance
- Add more plants and bugs
- Allow access to super plants/bugs
- Improve star earning difficulty curve
- Add new characters/slots per level completion


### Plants vs Goblins 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plants-vs-goblins-4/id1542460443)

Defend the Garden Kingdom from a massive goblin invasion. Strategically plant and utilize various flora, including strawberries for power-ups, to combat waves of enemies and their devastating artillery. Explore new levels and uncover surprises in this epic plant-versus-goblin battle.

**Highlights:** Strategic plant placement, Diverse plant types, Goblin enemy variety, Power-up system (strawberries), New levels and surprises, Intense combat scenarios

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Engaging gameplay mechanics for some players
- 🎨 Unique plant designs with visual appeal
- ⏱️ Good time-killer entertainment value
- 🏆 Challenging difficulty that rewards strategy
- 👥 Social appeal for group play sessions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Blatant Plants vs Zombies ripoff
- 🔊 Terrible sound design and goblin noises
- 🎵 Missing menu and game music
- 🎬 Poor animation quality (4-frame idle animations)
- ⚠️ Severe bugs and game-breaking errors

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes with 'error' messages on startup
- Physics glitches causing plants to grow off-screen and water flooding
- Severe lag and performance issues
- Game doesn't pause during ad videos, causing unfair gameplay
- Goblins combining unexpectedly mid-level

**Requested features**

- Add comprehensive tutorial explaining plant abilities
- Implement background music in menus and gameplay
- Improve goblin sound effects and voice lines
- Increase animation frames for plant idle animations
- Add more diverse level designs beyond level 32


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plants VS Bugs free?

Plants VS Bugs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Plants vs Goblins 4 free?

Plants vs Goblins 4 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Plants VS Bugs or Plants vs Goblins 4?

Plants VS Bugs is rated higher. Plants VS Bugs averages 2.8 out of 5 from 175 ratings, while Plants vs Goblins 4 averages 2.6 from 137 ratings.

### Do Plants VS Bugs or Plants vs Goblins 4 have ads?

Neither Plants VS Bugs nor Plants vs Goblins 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Plants VS Bugs or Plants vs Goblins 4?

Plants VS Bugs ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plants vs Goblins 4 every 9 days. Most recently, Plants VS Bugs was updated on October 9, 2026 and Plants vs Goblins 4 on October 13, 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.*