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

Magic Mushrooms vs Idle Magic Academy

Magic Mushrooms 4.9★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner Idle Magic Academy
Idle Magic Academy 4.8★ · Free + IAP 65

Idle Magic Academy is the better choice for players seeking a more balanced idle game experience with fewer mandatory ads and a clearer path for removing them, despite its content update issues.

Full reviews: Magic Mushrooms · Idle Magic Academy

Magic Mushrooms is plagued by an overwhelming number of mandatory ads, even for paying customers, making it feel like an "ad farm." Idle Magic Academy offers a more enjoyable experience with optional ads, though it suffers from a lack of new content and persistent login issues.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay tieR2R5R21R26
Magic Mushrooms Magic Mushrooms offers standard idle game mechanics and a visually appealing aesthetic with changing potion colors and mushroom designs, which many users find addictive and satisfying R2R5R26. However, some players complete the game and are left wondering what to do next R21. There are also reports of progress being erased and minor bugs with money display .
Idle Magic Academy Idle Magic Academy features a cute aesthetic, a storyline, and animations that users generally enjoy . Players appreciate the relaxing nature of the game and the idea behind it . However, many users report a significant lack of new content, with promised updates like "Shadow Isles" being delayed for months or even years R69R71R90R92. The game can also become a slow grind, with high upgrade costs making progress difficult .
Ads and Monetization edge: Idle Magic AcademyR1R3R4R6
Magic Mushrooms Magic Mushrooms is heavily criticized for its aggressive and mandatory ads, which are tied to core game functions like leveling up, upgrading, and resetting mushrooms R1R3R6. Many users report that purchasing the "remove ads" microtransaction is a scam, as forced ads still appear, making the purchase ineffective and leading to feelings of being swindled R4R10R12R16.
Idle Magic Academy Idle Magic Academy's ads are generally described as optional, appearing when users want extra boosts or items R78R87. While some users still find the number of ads annoying or too frequent , the crucial difference is that players have a choice to watch them or not. Purchasing the "remove ads" feature is reported to significantly improve the experience R71R95.
Reliability and Performance edge: Magic MushroomsR9R15R44R51
Magic Mushrooms Magic Mushrooms users report issues with the game crashing shortly after opening R9 and some instances of game progress being reset . There are also reports of a bug where the game offers a choice to watch an ad for more money or take a static amount, but an ad plays regardless of the choice R15R44R51.
Idle Magic Academy Idle Magic Academy has frequent reports of crashing and significant issues with saving game progress or logging in, particularly with Apple ID R76R78R88R91. Some users also mention not receiving rewards correctly or certain game functions not working, such as magic chess rewards or creature upgrades R90.
Support and Updates tieR10R16R25R27
Magic Mushrooms Magic Mushrooms reviews do not provide specific feedback on developer support or updates, but the persistent issue with the "remove ads" purchase suggests a lack of effective resolution for a critical problem R10R16R25R27.
Idle Magic Academy Idle Magic Academy users express frustration over the lack of new content updates, with features like "Shadow Isles" being promised for a long time but never delivered R69R71R90R92. Attempts to contact developers for support or information about updates have been met with issues, such as a non-functional contact submission on the website R92.
Pick Magic Mushrooms if

you are looking for a simple, addictive idle game with a mushroom theme and don't mind a very high frequency of forced ads, even after paying to remove them R2R5R26.

Pick Idle Magic Academy if

you prefer an idle game where ads are mostly optional and the 'remove ads' purchase actually works, even if the game lacks new content and has occasional login issues R71R78R87R95.

Evidence note: The lifetime ratings are high for both apps, but recent negative reviews for Magic Mushrooms heavily skew towards the ineffectiveness of the 'no ads' purchase and the overwhelming number of forced ads. For Idle Magic Academy, the main recent complaints are about the lack of new content and login issues, rather than ad frequency.

Frequently asked

Does Magic Mushrooms actually remove ads if you pay?
No, many users report that purchasing the "remove ads" microtransaction in Magic Mushrooms does not remove all forced ads, particularly those required for progression like leveling up or resetting mushrooms R4R10R12R16.
Are there many ads in Idle Magic Academy?
While some users find the ads frequent, reviews indicate that most ads in Idle Magic Academy are optional, appearing when players choose to watch them for boosts or rewards R78R87. The "remove ads" purchase is generally effective in this app R71R95.
Does Idle Magic Academy receive regular content updates?
No, many users express frustration that Idle Magic Academy has not received new content updates for a long time, with promised features like "Shadow Isles" remaining in a "coming soon" state for months or even years R69R71R90R92.
Are there login or saving issues with Idle Magic Academy?
Yes, many users report significant issues with logging in, particularly with Apple ID, and problems with saving game progress R76R78R88R91.

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] Magic Mushrooms 5/5 · US Fun: I like the game I had it on my old phone and now I'm playing it again
  2. [R5] Magic Mushrooms 5/5 · US Pretty entertaining: I found this game on the app store yesterday and it’s honestly pretty addictive lol, I like the detail that the potion changes colors when you add a new mushroom, would definitely recommend
  3. [R21] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · GB Now what...: Cool game, completed it... what now?
  4. [R26] Magic Mushrooms 5/5 · US Yourmushroomgurlgenesiscalderon: I LOVEEE THIS GAMEE THIS GAME IS SOOO ENTERTAINING SINCE IM A MUSHROOM LOVER 💗💗
  5. [R1] Magic Mushrooms 1/5 · US Ads: If you didn’t need to watch ads for doing every little thing this game would be a lot better. It’s basically an ad simulator.
  6. [R3] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · US Ads: This games aesthetic and standard idle game mechanics are fun. But I couldn’t get over the fact that ads were tied to core functions of the game, ie leveling up. I play games like this when I have 5-10 minutes and I really don’t wanna spend 2-3 minutes of that in ads.
  7. [R4] Magic Mushrooms 2/5 · US Ad h3ll: Game is so fun but you’re wild for wanting me to watch an ad every time I level up. Even buying no ads, the ads still pop up. Shame.
  8. [R6] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · US AD AD AD AD: There are so many ads its kinda making the game boring have to watch an ad every 2 minutes in playing
  9. [R9] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · US It’s a great game but...: Every time I open it it will stay open for 10 seconds and then it will crash! Please fix this 🥺🥺🥺🥺
  10. [R15] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · GB Great potential, but with drawbacks: Love the style and it’s very smooth but the ads are extremely aggressive. Option to watch an ad or not when levelling up but if you chose no you get the advert anyway - pointless having the option then. Also each time a mushroom resets it’s an advert and all you get is +2% which is a poor trade off and no option to forgo the ad. In short, a potentially grea
  11. [R44] Magic Mushrooms 4/5 · US Level Up Issue: Game is cute, game is fun. However, when you level up, it gives an option to take a static amount of money for the level up OR watch an ad for a much bigger payday. That would be fine, but it doesn’t matter which you pick, you get the ad regardless. I’m all for optional ads. Get that bag homies. Sometimes I’ll def be choosing to watch one. But I need to be able to choose. Especia
  12. [R51] Magic Mushrooms 1/5 · GB Erm your no adds doesn’t work: Liked it. Have played other games by them and always enjoyed them apart from the advertising, so this time I thought id buy the no adds so i could really enjoy it fully. But IT DOESNT WORK!! I made sure the payment went through on my bank and on my purchases through apple but it still makes me watch advertisements to level up(even if i click the no add level up!) L
  13. [R10] Magic Mushrooms 1/5 · US Micro transaction in game is a SCAM: DO NOT purchase the remove adds micro transaction. It’s a scam. You still are forced to watch every ad
  14. [R16] Magic Mushrooms 2/5 · US The no ads purchase is a scam: 3 dollars so not much, but it says it removes forced ads when all aspects of buffing yourself still require you to watch an ad. Not to mention that very few seconds a glowing item flies all across your screen which if your tapping on the screen you’ll hit which guess what? Forces another ad. Probably would have played this a bit more but definitely feel swindled.
  15. [R25] Magic Mushrooms 1/5 · US Avoid avoid avoid: I like to support developers of idle games, but this one is extremely disappointing in its ad unlock since ads are still extremely necessary for game play and absolutely everywhere in general. UPDATE! After further playing, I actually have no idea what my ad unlock payment actually accomplished. The ads are EVERYWHERE! Ah well, I hope you get rich, greedy game makers!
  16. [R27] Magic Mushrooms 1/5 · US ADS ADS ADS: This is a fun game, but even after buying the “AD FREE” version, I thought I could enjoy the game more. But the greedy game developers force you to watch adds to progress the game at all. Other games I’ve played do away with all the ads. This devalues the game significantly, and it’s severely disappointing and disrespectful to fans of the game. They could fix this problem by actually
  17. [R12] Magic Mushrooms 3/5 · US Fun but don’t buy!: If you pay to remove the ads you still have a forced ad in order to reset/prestige a row of mushrooms..
  18. [R71] Idle Magic Academy 4/5 · US Fun but limited: I’ve been playing for a while. When I first got it I bought the “remove ads” feature which greatly improved my experience. However, I’ve had everything maxed out for months now, and there has not been any new content. I see that every few weeks they release a patch to fix bugs, but there is no news whether anything new is coming or not. I am worried the game may be dead at this po
  19. [R78] Idle Magic Academy 3/5 · US Fun but won’t let you save: The game is actually fun. Ads only when you want extra boosts or items and such. Only issues are that no matter what I try it will not let me sign in or create an account so you have to play as a guest. Also there’s a lot of stuff from HP in it but it’s not a HP game sooo not sure how long it’ll be up.
  20. [R87] Idle Magic Academy 3/5 · US Good for a mobile game: The best thing about this game is that they don’t force you to watch ads. If you CHOOSE to watch ads the rewards you get for doing so feel worth it. Also, the appearance of familiar characters such as Akasha is pretty neat. However, this game becomes a really slow slog through the mud really quickly. I even put forth the effort to reach FIRST PLACE in an event, but the re
  21. [R95] Idle Magic Academy 5/5 · US Love this game!: I think this games is fun and a great time killer. Purchasing the no ads is worth it. I only wish we could communicate with other players while playing game with an in game chat but otherwise love this game.
  22. [R69] Idle Magic Academy 3/5 · US Think developers checked out: Promises of coming soon; however, nothing new has happened since they put the two timed events into the program. Was fun but fun is about done.
  23. [R90] Idle Magic Academy 3/5 · GB Had for a few years but stalled in areas….: Really enjoy this game, lovely and relaxing. I do play every event however the new world on the main map has been “coming soon” for over a year. Also where the magical creatures additional features were good now they’re bugged as they are now constantly locked so you cannot upgrade your creatures with all of the shards you have collected over several eve
  24. [R92] Idle Magic Academy 4/5 · US Love the game - when is the next update?: I tried reaching out on the developer website but the contact us submission results in a 500 error. I want to know when the shadow isles will be released!
  25. [R76] Idle Magic Academy 2/5 · US .: The game is perfectly fine , I’m just not able to save my game progress storage
  26. [R88] Idle Magic Academy 2/5 · US Can't save: Love these types of games and was trying to play alongside my partner, but my game refuses to allow me to back up and save and I've not been able to get around that issue. I even clicked the app store "get support" button but never heard back.
  27. [R91] Idle Magic Academy 1/5 · US Wont let create account: Ive been trying to sign in so i can sabe my progress and it wont work. Every time i click to add email nothing happens

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