# Digger Machine vs Gold Mine

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gold Mine at fortnightly against Digger Machine's every 3 months. Gold Mine also leads on ratings volume (3.7K vs 351). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Digger Machine sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Gold Mine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Digger Machine against 4.3 for Gold Mine. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gold Mine has 3.7K ratings behind it against 351, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Digger Machine's written reviews are positive against 72% of Gold Mine's.

Digger Machine ships an update every 3 months, Gold Mine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Digger Machine | Gold Mine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (351 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digger-machine-dig-minerals/id996857258/reviews)** | [4.3 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gold-mine/id1240272253/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 351 | **3.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **79.0% of reviews** | 72.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dariusz Mazur](https://appshunter.io/developer/829907063) | [Muhammad Saeed](https://appshunter.io/developer/721870908) |

## What reviewers say

### Digger Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digger-machine-dig-minerals/id996857258)

Embark on an arcade adventure to unearth valuable minerals like gold and diamonds. Upgrade your digging machine, build bases, and navigate treacherous mines filled with traps and bosses. Collect and sell 50 types of minerals to enhance your equipment and become the ultimate miner.

**Highlights:** Dig for 50 types of minerals, Upgrade digging machine, Build bases, Navigate 3 underground mines, Complete missions, Use 6 special actions

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Diamond Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Time limited custom pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Good and valuable starter pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Big Diamond Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| 50% off - Best available sale! | $6.99 | one-time |
| Golden Diamond Pack | $11.99 | one-time |
| Mega Diamond Pack | $13.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Faithful recreation of classic Motherload game
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices
- ⏱️ Great time-killer/casual entertainment
- 💰 Reasonable monetization with minimal ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics after initial hours
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💾 Progress deletion on death or app closure
- 📺 Ad-related issues (black screens, fake X buttons)
- ⚠️ Game-breaking gem loss bug

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when typing feedback
- Progress deleted on death despite save system
- Black screen after watching ads for revival
- Gems consumed without unlocking base
- Player stuck in rocks with no escape

**Requested features**

- Character customization options
- Ability to dig upward
- More levels/content
- Map feature
- Confirmation dialog for restart button


### Gold Mine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gold-mine/id1240272253)

Embark on a classic gold mining adventure with 50 engaging levels. Spin a lucky wheel at the end of each stage to win power-ups, with the option to watch an ad or skip.

**Highlights:** 50 exciting levels, Classic gold mining gameplay, Lucky spinner for power-ups, Video ad rewards, Skip option for ads

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and entertaining
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Nostalgic classic game
- 🎨 Great graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Repetitive gameplay
- 💰 Too many ads
- 🛑 Difficulty spikes in later levels
- 🔧 Lack of upgrades or customization

**Reported bugs**

- No-ads button doesn't work
- Claw movement feels unresponsive at times
- Levels can be impossible to complete without luck-based power-ups

**Requested features**

- Add an option to disable ads
- Implement a shop to spend earned gold
- Introduce more power-ups and level variety
- Allow players to reset to level 1


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Digger Machine free?

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

### Is Gold Mine free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Digger Machine or Gold Mine?

Digger Machine is rated higher. Digger Machine averages 4.5 out of 5 from 351 ratings, while Gold Mine averages 4.3 from 3.7K ratings.

### Do Digger Machine or Gold Mine have ads?

Both Digger Machine and Gold Mine show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Digger Machine or Gold Mine?

Digger Machine ships an update every 3 months, and Gold Mine fortnightly. Most recently, Digger Machine was updated on November 1, 2026 and Gold Mine on November 2, 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.*