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

Idle Heroes vs AFK Arena

Idle Heroes 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner AFK Arena
AFK Arena 4.7★ · Free + IAP 85

AFK Arena is the better choice for most players due to its more positive user experience, fewer complaints about predatory monetization, and consistent praise for its engaging gameplay and generous rewards.

Full reviews: Idle Heroes · AFK Arena

Idle Heroes faces significant criticism for its aggressive monetization, frustrating tutorials, and account issues, despite some players enjoying its PVE content. AFK Arena, while also a free-to-play idle game, receives widespread praise for its fun, strategic gameplay, beautiful art, and perceived generosity with rewards, with fewer user complaints.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay edge: AFK ArenaR3R6R9R21
Idle Heroes Idle Heroes offers engaging PVE content and strategy, with some players enjoying the character options and abilities R6R21. However, many find the mid-to-late game progression too slow and the PVP heavily skewed towards paying players R6R28R46. Some users also dislike recent UI changes R3 and the lack of control over monsters R9.
AFK Arena AFK Arena is lauded for its fun, strategic gameplay and the variety of activities available, keeping players engaged for hours . Users appreciate the 'AFK' aspect, allowing for material farming even when not actively playing R67. The game is also praised for its unique characters and beautiful art R81R98.
Ease of Use and User Experience edge: AFK ArenaR10R12R42R44
Idle Heroes Idle Heroes is criticized for its overly long and unskippable tutorials, which force players to spend currency they don't want to R10R12R44. Some users report issues with account recovery and login problems R10R42R44. There are also complaints about not being able to get rid of characters without buying more space .
AFK Arena AFK Arena is generally considered easy to play and fast-paced . Users find it a good game to pass the time without being too distracting . While one user mentioned slow loading times on iPhone for bosses, this was attributed to their phone R81.
Reliability and Support edge: AFK ArenaR9R14R18R22
Idle Heroes Idle Heroes users report significant issues with account verification failing R14R22 and customer support being unresponsive or unhelpful R22. One user claimed to be permanently banned for asking customer service for help with an in-game bug after spending over £300 . There are also reports of redemption codes not working R9R18.
AFK Arena AFK Arena users generally do not report significant reliability issues. One long-term player mentioned bugs with a new event (Summer Encounter) causing the app to shut off, but this seemed to be an isolated incident related to an update . No widespread complaints about customer support or account issues were found.
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) edge: AFK ArenaR4R6R7R16
Idle Heroes Idle Heroes is heavily criticized for being 'pay-to-win' (P2W) and having predatory monetization tactics R4R6R16R28. Users feel pushed to spend money to progress, especially in mid-to-late game or PVP, with some characters costing exorbitant amounts R4R28R34. While some claim it has become less P2W over time and F2P is possible, it's a 'slippery slope' . There are also reports of incorrect charges R7.
AFK Arena AFK Arena is perceived as being generous with rewards R98. Users enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money, and there are very rarely ads R81. The game offers good value as a free-to-play option, with many players enjoying it for extended periods R67.
Pick Idle Heroes if

you are looking for an idle RPG with extensive PVE content and are prepared to navigate aggressive monetization or commit to a free-to-play strategy that may involve slower progression R6.

Pick AFK Arena if

you want an engaging and strategic idle RPG with beautiful art, generous rewards, and a less aggressive monetization model R81R98. It's also suitable if you appreciate games that allow for progress even when you're not actively playing R67.

Evidence note: Reviews for AFK Arena are overwhelmingly positive, with very few specific complaints, making it challenging to find direct counter-arguments for some dimensions. The high volume of positive, but often brief, reviews for AFK Arena suggests a generally satisfied user base, while Idle Heroes reviews, despite a similar lifetime rating, contain more detailed and significant negative feedback.

Frequently asked

Is Idle Heroes a pay-to-win game?
Yes, many users describe Idle Heroes as a pay-to-win game, citing predatory auction systems where top-tier characters can cost thousands of dollars and significant pressure to spend money to progress, especially in PVP and mid-to-late game R4R28R34R46.
Does AFK Arena have many ads?
AFK Arena users report that there are very rarely ads in the game R81.
Are there issues with account recovery in Idle Heroes?
Yes, several users have reported issues with account recovery in Idle Heroes, including being unable to access old accounts, account verification failures, and accounts being deleted without warning R10R14R22R44.
Can you progress in AFK Arena without spending money?
Yes, AFK Arena is generally seen as generous with rewards, allowing players to build their army and progress without necessarily spending money R67R98.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 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. [R3] Idle Heroes 3/5 · US Hate the UI changes: Give me an option to change them back
  2. [R6] Idle Heroes 3/5 · GB Great PVE, disappointing PVP/online.: Great game, but expect to lose a-lot to players who throw money at this game. Even if you manage to get very good at this game a new hero gets released that completely shifts the meta play-styles and you’ll have to start from scratch pretty much. Also progress mid-late game is too slow. If you just want something to click on by yourself with PVE, this game w
  3. [R9] Idle Heroes 3/5 · GB Its ok: The redemption code is fake and theres no other ones and you don’T control the monsters
  4. [R21] Idle Heroes 5/5 · US Gameplay: The new gameplay for free to play players is amazing as well as the options of characters and abilities I really love and enjoy this game
  5. [R10] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Extremely frustrating: Used to play this game and loved it! Went back to try it out, and had to make a new account. no problem! What i was met with was the most aggravating railroaded tutorial i couldn’t skip that forced me to spend currency i didn’t want to. Sad cause it used to be cool but its lack of account recovery, railroaded tutorials discouraged me from continuing to play.
  6. [R12] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Tutorials are to much: If you want a game that wont let you play at all and constantly gives you a tutorial for every single thing even if its not even needed then this is the perfect game for you
  7. [R42] Idle Heroes 2/5 · GB why was the login added?: I used to play the game and it was a lot of fun but i had to delete it some time after. Im trying to get back on it but it is now asking for me to log in with a bunch of 0 digits which i dont understand
  8. [R44] Idle Heroes 1/5 · GB Awful tutorial: Worst tutorial I've seen on a game, I also can't access an account I had a while ago that I'd spent money on. Game is trash all round.
  9. [R14] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Fts: It keeps saying account verification failed
  10. [R18] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US idle heroes: played this over a year ago and the codes didn't work. so don't bother.
  11. [R22] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Won’t let me in: Everytime I try to get on it says authentication failed and customer support is a joke and won’t answer
  12. [R4] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Predatory auction: This game is a waste of time and VIP walled which cost money to get VIP points. Then there’s the predatory auction in the game where Tier S is sold for 1,000,000 starry gems that you can buy 2,500 for 99.99. So it’s basically $40,000 for a character.
  13. [R7] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US Don’t buy stuff on this app: I bought something on this app for $10 but it charged my card $50 so be careful if you buy anything on here
  14. [R16] Idle Heroes 1/5 · US DHG? 0/10 all day: Don’t listen to these clearly fake reviews. Either paid for or players who’ve been on for less than a week are giving over 3*. Anything these guys are behind, I’ll happily rate 0* be because of their greedy tactics. Sure it’s the “standard” but screw that. If you want people to use your app. Do better. Simple as that.
  15. [R28] Idle Heroes 1/5 · GB F2P? Not a chance: Great game in the short term, however you can’t build a decent squad without spending and after about 90 days the in-game events are only for P2W players who have purchased experience boosts and unlocked abilities/heroes to a level that can only be achieved by spending. Constantly being pushed to spend spend spend. If you’re after a time filler short-term then great but long-ter
  16. [R34] Idle Heroes 1/5 · GB RNG P2W: Spent 6 months playing after returning and spending a bit after all this time I still couldn’t get an A- tier which doubles your total damage. Spent 100+ awakens to get literally the worst odds possible it’s only possible to get far with money in this trash game
  17. [R46] Idle Heroes 1/5 · GB Pay to play: Alright game at first level up quick good idle then slows down badly to were it takes about 3-4 days of logging in constantly to level up to play another 2 levels of the campaign even spending crystals on scrolls not guaranteed a 4-5* mostly get 1-3* then it gets boring logging in doing the tasks for about 5mins to not get much further cos you haven’t got the right character or certai
  18. [R81] AFK Arena 5/5 · GB I LOVE THIS GAME: It’s sooooooooooo cool there are very rarely ads and the characters are so unique and cool I only have one issue with the game when playing on iPhone it takes a lot of time to load with the bosses but of course that could just be my phone
  19. [R67] AFK Arena 5/5 · GB How good afk arena is: AFK arena is a great game where you build your army and fight other armies even when your are afk the game keeps playing so next time you join you will have new gear to put on your hero do your army will get stronger overall this is a great game there’s no bugs that I have found definitely reccomed
  20. [R98] AFK Arena 5/5 · GB Great game!: Really enjoyable and addictive game, definitely recommend. They are very generous with rewards and their character art is beautiful.

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store