Comparison

Ape UP! vs Classic Maelstrom

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ape UP!

Tap to ascend a towering obstacle course, bouncing off friendly creatures and avoiding hazards. Grab power-ups to blast through levels and collect coins to customize your character's appearance. This arcade climber offers simple, addictive gameplay with a retro aesthetic.

Highlights
  • Tap to jump gameplay
  • Bounce off obstacles
  • Collect bananas for power-ups
  • Smash through floors
  • Customize ape colors
  • Pixel art retro style
Read full description

How high can your little ape climb today? Tap to jump. Bounce off the friendly green crocs to springboard even higher, and watch out for the toothy brown ones, they bite. Grab a flying banana and go SUPER. The screen lights up, your ape glows, and you blast through floor after floor. GAMEPLAY A simple one tap arcade climber that gets faster, taller, and wilder the higher you go. GO SUPER Bananas are rare. Catch one and your ape rockets up the screen, smashing crocs out of the way like they owe you. Pure joy. DRESS YOUR APE Coins stick around forever. Spend them in the shop on new jumper colors. Blue, green, pink, with more on the way. A loving pixel art comeback of the original Monkey Hop, with new moves, fresh polish, and that same chunky retro charm. Terms of service (EULA) : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Classic Maelstrom

Experience a fast-paced, retro arcade shooter with classic pixel graphics and authentic sounds. Enjoy cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes, along with modern touch and controller support. Discover hidden secrets and challenge yourself with unique game modes.

Highlights
  • Fast-action gameplay
  • Classic pixel graphics
  • Original sounds
  • Cooperative multiplayer
  • Competitive multiplayer
  • Mobile touch controls
  • Game controller support
  • Kid Mode
Features
Read full description

Maelstrom is a licensed open source port of the original shareware game for the Macintosh by Ambrosia Software, Inc. It is a fast-action, asteroids-like game, with classic pixel graphics and original sounds. In addition to being a faithful reproduction of the original game, this version adds game controller support, mobile touch controls, and both cooperative and competitive multiplayer action. Features: Kid Mode Clicking the "kid mode" icon next to the play button will enable an easier play mode which will add the retro-thruster prize and automatically shield you as long as shields are available - but beware the Shenobi ships! Their shots will not trigger the automatic defensive systems. Achievements and high scores are not available while in this mode. Multiplayer You can host or join a multiplayer game from the main menu. Up to three players can play at once, and they can be any combination of other players on the local network, and connected controllers. Easter Eggs The classic easter eggs from the original game are all there, and it's up to you to find them...

Screenshots

Ape UP!3 screens
Classic Maelstrom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Classic Maelstrom at none against Ape UP!'s 1. Classic Maelstrom also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 133 months) and device support. Ape UP!'s advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Ape UP! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Classic Maelstrom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ape UP! against 5.0 for Classic Maelstrom. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ape UP! ships an update every 133 months, Classic Maelstrom every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Ape UP! versus Classic Maelstrom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApe UP!Classic Maelstrom
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 133 monthsEvery 2 days — better
Ads—No
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
Devices—iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB11 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperomytapSam Lantinga

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ape UP!

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Classic Maelstrom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ape UP! free?
Ape UP! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Classic Maelstrom free?
Classic Maelstrom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ape UP! or Classic Maelstrom?
Ape UP! and Classic Maelstrom are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Which is updated more often, Ape UP! or Classic Maelstrom?
Ape UP! ships an update every 133 months, and Classic Maelstrom every 2 days. Most recently, Ape UP! was updated on October 24, 2026 and Classic Maelstrom on October 28, 2026.

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