Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Gardenscapes vs Royal Match

Gardenscapes 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Royal Match
Royal Match 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

Royal Match has a slight edge over Gardenscapes due to its more consistent core gameplay experience and fewer critical technical issues, despite both facing similar criticisms regarding monetization and misleading advertising.

Full reviews: Gardenscapes · Royal Match

Both Gardenscapes and Royal Match are popular match-3 games with high lifetime ratings, but recent user reviews highlight significant frustrations with both, including aggressive monetization tactics and misleading advertisements. Royal Match generally offers a more stable experience with fewer reported bugs, while Gardenscapes struggles with frequent crashes and unresponsive support.

Head to head

Core Gameplay & Challenge tieR2R4R5R9
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes players, especially long-term ones, report that levels have become significantly harder, often requiring power-ups or money to pass, making the game feel like a 'money grab' R9R22. There's also dissatisfaction with recent changes to boosters, with many preferring the old combinations R2R4R5. Some find the difficulty frustrating, getting stuck on levels for days R9.
Royal Match Royal Match users also experience increasing difficulty at higher levels, leading to a feeling that the game is 'predispositioned to make you lose' unless you pay R64. Players note that even 'easy' levels become impossible without power-ups or purchases . Some feel the game has shifted from a mix of strategy and luck to being 'all luck, no skill' .
Monetization & Value tieR6R10R18R21
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes is frequently criticized as a 'pay to play game' despite being advertised as free, with users feeling manipulated into spending money R22. Players report reduced coin rewards per win (from 50 to 10 coins) and that power-ups are less effective or cost moves R6R21. Some users suspect fraudulent charges or non-delivery of purchased items R10R18.
Royal Match Royal Match also faces strong criticism for its monetization, with users stating it's 'not really free' and that progress becomes impossible without paying for extras R64R88. Players feel the game is a 'greedy machine' designed to 'bleed you for all the money they can' . Rewards are often described as 'garbage' or 'just out of reach', and the cost for extra moves is considered too high .
Advertisements & Expectations tieR3R7R11R12
Gardenscapes A major complaint for Gardenscapes is 'fake ads' and 'false advertisement' that show mini-games like pin-pulling or house renovation, which are not representative of the actual match-3 gameplay R3R7R11R12. Users feel deceived and disappointed when the downloaded game is 'COMPLETELY different' from what was advertised R34.
Royal Match Royal Match users also express significant frustration with 'fake ads' and 'false advertising' that depict the king escaping various scenarios, which are rarely or never seen in the actual game . Many downloaded the game specifically for these advertised mini-games and were disappointed to find a standard match-3 experience .
Technical Performance & Reliability edge: Royal MatchR1R20R23R37
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes suffers from significant technical issues, with many users reporting the game 'refused to open', showing a white screen, or crashing frequently R1R20R23. Some users have had to uninstall and reinstall, losing progress R1. The game is also reported to cause phones to get 'ridiculously hot' and drain battery quickly R37.
Royal Match Royal Match generally has fewer reports of critical technical issues, though some users mention 'too many glitch' after updates, leading to constant closing or losing progress . One user reported issues with data deletion requests not being honored .
Customer Support tieR10R111R115
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes users report 'zero support', with purchased items not delivered and no response from customer service via email, in-app support, or social media, despite promised response times R10.
Royal Match Royal Match users also report 'horrible support', with one user not receiving coins for completing tasks for another game and sending screenshots as proof R115. Another user noted the removal of the option to chat with customer service R111.
Ads within the Game edge: Royal MatchR8R15R26R71
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes has mixed reviews regarding in-game ads. Some users appreciate that there are 'not that much ads' or 'no adds is amazing' R8R26. However, others complain about 'constant ads ruining the gameplay' R15.
Royal Match Royal Match is consistently praised by users for having 'no ads' or 'no forced or optional ads' R71. This is a significant positive point for many players.
Pick Gardenscapes if

you prefer a game with a long history and are willing to tolerate technical issues and aggressive monetization for familiar gameplay, and you might occasionally find the lack of in-game ads appealing R8R26.

Pick Royal Match if

you prioritize a match-3 game with no in-game ads and a generally more stable technical experience, even if it means encountering similar frustrations with increasing difficulty and monetization tactics at higher levels R71.

Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of reviews, but recent negative reviews heavily skew towards monetization issues and misleading advertising, which are consistent across both games. Gardenscapes has a higher number of critical technical issues reported.

Frequently asked

Are Gardenscapes and Royal Match free to play?
Both Gardenscapes and Royal Match are free to download and play, but users frequently report that they become 'pay to play' at higher levels, requiring in-app purchases for boosters, extra moves, or lives to progress R22R64R88.
Do Gardenscapes and Royal Match have in-game ads?
Royal Match is widely praised for having no in-game ads R71, while Gardenscapes has mixed reviews, with some users reporting no ads and others experiencing constant ads R8R15R26.
Are the advertisements for Gardenscapes and Royal Match accurate?
No, users for both Gardenscapes and Royal Match widely report that the advertisements are 'fake' and 'false advertising', showing mini-games or scenarios (like pin-pulling or saving a king) that are not representative of the actual match-3 gameplay R3R7R13R34.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Gardenscapes 4/5 · US Bring back the old boosters: I’ve been playing this game since Covid and play several times throughout the day. There are mini games you can play, like Fancy Feathers, and you can collect cards to get boosters, but you have no control over when or what cards you collect. Recently, the boosters have changed, though still similar. I wish they would bring back the combined dynamite and rainbow blast.
  2. [R4] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Sh*t: Give me back the normal boosters. · translated
  3. [R5] Gardenscapes 4/5 · US Boosters: The new boosters are not as helpful as the previous ones. I’m disappointed I can’t switch pieces. Also it is almost impossible to get to the end of the side games, takes too many lightening bolts for each item. Unlike previously I was able to get to the end with a day or two left over for extra play.
  4. [R9] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US Was great. Now money grab: I have been playing this game for years. Current level is 19,977. I he’s enjoyed every aspect of the game until recently. The “one shot” level are there just to make you use your power ups and lose your bonuses. Even the Super Hard levels cannot be beat without additional power ups. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the challenge, but to be stuck on a normal level for 2 days w
  5. [R6] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US New update sucks: Bring back the extra power ups when you get the garden pass instead of more coins. At least rotate between the two.
  6. [R10] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Zero support: I bought boosters and upgrades 4 days ago which were not delivered as there were bugs in the game that deleted them immediately. I have been trying for the last 4 days to contact support via email, in app support and even Twitter (X) but despite a 48 hour response commitment they just refuse to respond. I’ve been playing for 10 years now and maybe it’s time to call it quits. Unfortun
  7. [R18] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US Upset: I have played this game for a minute. I continue to spend money and get nothing in return for the inside games. I have been winning events and gaining reward and for 10 days I have been waiting on 4 cards. It’s like gambling in the worst way…it’s literally like a casino game and not winning. I’m over this. Very disappointing
  8. [R21] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US Moves: POWER UPPS SHOULD NOT COST MOVED IT IS A 15 move map and IM USING 6 moves on power upps
  9. [R3] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US Clickbate: This game is nice, but its somewhat frustrating how the ads show other games such as pin pulling but when you download the game its just about rebuilding an abondoned mansion. Please add these games that are in your ads!!
  10. [R7] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Fake ads: Please fix
  11. [R11] Gardenscapes 5/5 · US Not the same as the commercial: Why dies t this game play as the commercial shows? Very deceiving! I have had this game for years but doesn’t allow me to make and sell things.
  12. [R12] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US No mini games: Hardly any mini games like advertised. Mostly all really difficult puzzles. And you do not get to customize and work on the house as much, it is a lot more task and things for the story line.
  13. [R1] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Fun when it works: I really like this game, but it hasn’t worked for me in at least a week. Every so often, it just refused to open, but now it just gives me a white screen that says “playrix” Edited 7/10 After having to uninstall and reinstall this app, I am no longer eligible to get dragon gems on Merge Dragons, which is why I installed this app to begin with. I have uninstalled it again, as I h
  14. [R20] Gardenscapes 5/5 · US Glitch: The game hasn't been working for me for two days. I deleted and reinstalled it, and the same error exists. Is there a solution? · translated
  15. [R23] Gardenscapes 5/5 · US Something is wrong: My game won’t load
  16. [R37] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Battery issues: I really enjoy this game, it’s fun but my issue is that it absolutely cooks my phone whenever I try to play. I have an iPhone 16 pro, 91% battery health, 480 something cycles so not new but still not a completely worn out battery. When I play this game my phone gets ridiculously hot, I’ve tried playing with no other apps open nothing working in the background and my phone still ins
  17. [R111] Royal Match 1/5 · US Worst of the worst: Back again to let everyone know that they set the algorithm harder when you complain. I would email customer service whenever I see blatant sabotage. They removed the option to chat with customer service? Why? I wanted an explanation as to why they consistently take out the light ball whenever I have it set up to win or early in the game causing me to loose? I was told it is al
  18. [R115] Royal Match 1/5 · US Horrible support and waste of time. Don’t spend your money!: I downloaded this game to get coins for another game and they refused to give me the coins after I completed all the requests. I sent screenshots of proof and everything. I couldn’t imagine spending money on this game and not receiving what you pay for. Goodluck with the support team. Not even a fun game and doesn’t match the ads for it
  19. [R8] Gardenscapes 5/5 · US Great game: Super relaxing and kinda challenging but not that much ads
  20. [R15] Gardenscapes 3/5 · US Better without ads: Game is good but there is constant ads ruining the gameplay
  21. [R26] Gardenscapes 5/5 · US No adds is amazing: I love that there is no adds, the games fun, the progression is good, the special side story’s are pretty cliche but whatever. The only issue is that the achievements don’t properly teach, some stop working and some don’t track at all. Good game overall
  22. [R71] Royal Match 5/5 · US Love it: My favorite game! No ads!
  23. [R22] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US Pay to play game: This game is advertised as free-to-play, but in reality it has become pay-to-play. The gameplay feels heavily manipulated by an algorithm designed to push players into spending money. Boosters often make little difference when trying to pass difficult levels. What is even more frustrating is that whenever you’re close to reaching a milestone in a competition or event, even easy
  24. [R64] Royal Match 2/5 · US Not Free: After a while of progressing, it becomes hard to ignore the idea that the game is predispositioned to make you lose, unless you pay for more moves/lives.
  25. [R88] Royal Match 1/5 · US Not really free: Once you get to the higher levels there is no way to move forward or make progress on mini games without paying for extras it really sucks that once they get you hooked on the game that bleed you for all the money they can.
  26. [R13] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US False advertisement: This game is not what it appears to be false advertisement
  27. [R34] Gardenscapes 1/5 · US This is a fake.: Download this game because I saw an ad about it on my phone. I played the ad, and I was like “omg this is so much fun” so I downloaded it, only to realize that the actual game was COMPLETELY different from the ad. I immediately deleted it. I do not appreciate fake advertisement.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store