# Cow Evolution vs Merge Gnomes

Cow Evolution and Merge Gnomes both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Cow Evolution's written reviews are positive against 49% of Merge Gnomes's. Cow Evolution also leads on ratings volume (24K vs 1K). Merge Gnomes's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cow Evolution sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Merge Gnomes sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Cow Evolution against 4.7 for Merge Gnomes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cow Evolution has 24K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Cow Evolution's written reviews are positive against 49% of Merge Gnomes's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cow Evolution | Merge Gnomes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cow-evolution-merge-to-evolve/id901864337/reviews)** | [4.7 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-gnomes-level-up/id1387302321/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 1K |
| Positive reviews | **79.6% of reviews** | 48.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 156 MB | 207 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TPG TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMACAO LTDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/444343830) | [Rhino Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1357174997) |

## What reviewers say

### Cow Evolution

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cow-evolution-merge-to-evolve/id901864337)

Merge cows to discover new mutant creatures and build a unique farm. Collect resources, upgrade equipment, and customize your animals with various accessories. Explore different worlds and unlock mysterious species in this idle clicker game.

**Highlights:** Merge cows to discover mutant creatures, Collect coins and crystals, Upgrade farm equipment, Customize animals with accessories, Discover new worlds and species, Idle clicker gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ads removal | $0.99 | one-time |
| pack with 60 diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| instant coins doubler | $1.99 | one-time |
| pack of diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| pack of rubies | $1.99 | one-time |
| small frost gem pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Promo Bundles Very High | $2.99 | one-time |
| pack with 200 diamonds | $3.99 | one-time |
| big pack of rubies | $4.99 | one-time |
| income doubler | $5.99 | one-time |
| pack with 500 diamonds | $6.99 | one-time |
| Trinket | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🤩 Cute and creative cow designs
- 💰 Rewarding progression system
- 🎨 Enjoyable art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive advertisements
- ⏱️ Lengthy wait times for crates
- 🐛 Occasional game freezes and crashes
- 🔍 Accessibility issues on newer devices

**Reported bugs**

- Achievements not tracking correctly
- Upgrade buttons disappearing or becoming unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Ability to create custom cows
- More diverse cow evolution paths
- Improved ad monetization model
- Faster crate opening times


### Merge Gnomes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merge-gnomes-level-up/id1387302321)

Merge identical characters to discover new ones and build your gnome squad. Dig for gold, unlock chests, and earn rewards even while offline. Manage your team of unique gnomes to maximize your earnings.

**Highlights:** Discover over 30 unique gnomes, Drag and match identical gnomes, Dig deeper for gold, Unlock fantastic chests, Get idle coins offline, Manage your gnome squad

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Membership | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Permanent Better Barrels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Quick Merge | $0.99 | one-time |
| Limited Time Offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Better Barrel Tier 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Faster Barrel | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hold to Speed Up! | $1.99 | one-time |
| Permanent 2X | $2.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Better Barrel Tier 3 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Better Barrel Tier 4 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Starter Package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Save Big | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Addictive gameplay
- 🎨 Excellent art style
- 👍 Fun and entertaining

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive upgrades
- 🕹️ Limited gameplay variety

**Reported bugs**

- Gnome merging issues
- Daily rewards not working
- Purchase and upgrade problems

**Requested features**

- More gnome types and content
- Ability to merge or discard unwanted gnomes
- Improved progression and upgrade system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cow Evolution free?

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

### Is Merge Gnomes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cow Evolution or Merge Gnomes?

Cow Evolution is rated higher. Cow Evolution averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Merge Gnomes averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.

### Do Cow Evolution or Merge Gnomes have ads?

Both Cow Evolution and Merge Gnomes show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cow Evolution or Merge Gnomes?

Cow Evolution ships an update every 2 weeks, and Merge Gnomes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cow Evolution was updated on October 28, 2026 and Merge Gnomes 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.*