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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Merge Gardens vs Merge Dragons!

Merge Gardens 4.6★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Merge Dragons!
Merge Dragons! 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

Merge Dragons! has a slight edge due to its larger player base and longer history, but both games suffer from similar issues regarding monetization and technical glitches.

Full reviews: Merge Gardens · Merge Dragons!

Merge Dragons! and Merge Gardens are both popular free-to-play merge games with in-app purchases. While Merge Dragons! boasts a larger, more established community, both titles face criticism for aggressive monetization, repetitive gameplay, and recurring technical problems like crashing and lost progress.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay tieR6R8R13R23
Merge Gardens Merge Gardens players enjoy the core gameplay, finding it fun and relaxing, with some reaching very high levels R8R23. However, recent updates have removed popular free features like the magnifying glass, replacing them with paid options R6R13. Users also complain about visual clutter and annoying birds that obstruct gameplay .
Merge Dragons! Merge Dragons! is praised for being fun, calming, and addictive, with many players enjoying it for years . Some users appreciate the option to auto-merge items for convenience . However, players express frustration over the lack of new levels, repetitive events, and dragons harvesting items without permission .
Ease of Use edge: Merge GardensR5R12R15R18
Merge Gardens A significant recent issue for Merge Gardens players has been the Apple Pencil no longer working for moving objects after updates, making gameplay frustrating for many, especially those with arthritis or who prefer precision R5R12R15R18. While some reviews indicate this was fixed quickly , others still report issues. Some users also find the game's interface too small or visually overwhelming .
Merge Dragons! Merge Dragons! users report issues with accidental merges, which can ruin hours of progress . Some find the game too time-consuming and tedious . There are also complaints about the game not looking like its advertisements .
Reliability and Performance tieR2R3R10R14
Merge Gardens Merge Gardens players frequently report technical issues, including the game crashing, restarting, or kicking them out, often leading to lost bonuses or progress R3R14R33. Ads are also a source of frustration, with many breaking the game or forcing restarts R2R10.
Merge Dragons! Merge Dragons! also suffers from significant reliability problems, with users experiencing frequent crashes, lost progress, and the game shutting off or resetting R84. Some players report that ad rewards are not received even after watching ads R73. The game is also noted for being battery-intensive .
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR4R7R11R13
Merge Gardens Merge Gardens is heavily criticized for becoming a 'pay-to-play' game, especially at later levels. Users report needing to spend gems (which often require real money) to open baskets, hangers, or acquire necessary items like mystery eggs, making free progression difficult or impossible R4R7R11R13. Some long-time players feel that updates have taken away rewards and made puzzles harder, pushing them towards IAPs R7.
Merge Dragons! Merge Dragons! is widely described as a 'money pit' and 'pay-to-win' game, with microtransactions around every corner R63. Players feel forced to buy gems for progression, especially in events, and that unlocking items with gems is not a reward . Some users have spent significant amounts of money only to lose progress .
Support tieR25R73R82R84
Merge Gardens Merge Gardens users who complain about issues like cruel tasks or lack of space report receiving generic, unhelpful responses from support R25.
Merge Dragons! Merge Dragons! players frequently complain about a lack of responsive support, with reports of support not answering queries or bug fixes R73. Some users have lost significant progress and purchases with no recourse R82R84.
Pick Merge Gardens if

you prefer a game with a garden theme and are willing to tolerate potential Apple Pencil issues (which may be resolved) and aggressive monetization at higher levels R8R23.

Pick Merge Dragons! if

you enjoy a dragon-themed merge game with a large, established community and are prepared for frequent monetization prompts and occasional stability issues .

Evidence note: Both apps have a free-to-play model with in-app purchases. Much of the negativity for both stems from the friction of free-tier limitations, such as needing to pay for space, items, or faster progression, which is a common complaint for this monetization model. Merge Gardens had a recent, widespread bug affecting Apple Pencil use, which was acknowledged and reportedly fixed by developers, but some reviews still reflect the frustration.

Frequently asked

Are Merge Gardens and Merge Dragons! truly free-to-play?
Both Merge Gardens and Merge Dragons! are free to download and play, but user reviews indicate that progression, especially at higher levels or during events, becomes very difficult without spending real money on in-app purchases like gems R4R13R55R63.
Do these games have technical issues?
Yes, both games are frequently reported to have technical issues; Merge Gardens users experience crashes, reboots, and broken ads R2R3R10R33, while Merge Dragons! players report crashes, lost progress, and unreceived ad rewards R73.
Can I use an Apple Pencil with Merge Gardens?
Merge Gardens recently had a bug that prevented Apple Pencil use for moving objects, causing significant frustration for many players R5R12R15R21. While some users reported a quick fix , others still indicate issues, suggesting the fix might not be universal or fully stable.

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. [R6] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Goodbye: This game use to be fun. It stopped being fun for me with the update this past April, when the free magnifying glass was replaced with a pay for use magnet. I along with others complained. I have waited to see if the magnifying glass would be returned and regrettably it has not. Such a shame. Deleting game.
  2. [R8] Merge Gardens 5/5 · US Most fun game ever!: This game is so fun and relaxing.my mom is also loves this game and she’s on level 1000!!! So I kind of think that she loves this game more then me and I’m on level 800! But i love this game.
  3. [R13] Merge Gardens 1/5 · US It used to be fun but…: I used to enjoy playing the game, typical merge game but with a purpose. I was progressing through the game until I got to a section that I couldn’t open unless I paid for it, $20.00. Nope. Then the updates came along, now to figure out where the mergable items are, you have to pay for that option. Nope. I’ve played this game for about three years. I’m deleting it. I d
  4. [R23] Merge Gardens 5/5 · US Best iPad game ever: I have been playing Merge Gardens for years. I love this game.
  5. [R5] Merge Gardens 4/5 · US Long time player: Why can’t I use my apple pen to move objects 😭I rarely play anymore just because of this!
  6. [R12] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Apple Pencil no longer moves objects: Loved playing this game, but my Apple Pencil has stopped moving objects since the last update. I won’t continue playing if this bug doesn’t get fixed.
  7. [R15] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Apple Pencil not working with game: My pencil won’t move the items on the page. It just started this and it’s very frustrating and slowdown my progress. I’ve been playing this game DAILY but if this isn’t fixed I’ll have to stop altogether. Love it but please FIX THIS ISSUE
  8. [R18] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US New update stressing me out: Loved this game until the most recent update where I can use my Apple Pencil in the match game but not in the actual merge game. My fingers are far too fat to merge things. Unfortunately until it’s fixed I won’t be playing.
  9. [R2] Merge Gardens 4/5 · US Broken ads: Fun game, but extremely frustrating to have streak rewards and incentivize streaks and ads to continue the level when half of the ads break the game and force you to exit the game, destroying your streak
  10. [R3] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Need update: Games suddenly not working, keep restarting
  11. [R10] Merge Gardens 2/5 · US The ads malfunction: The ads (usually for that awful Kalshi betting site) malfunction so much over the last few weeks that the game isn’t as much fun anymore. Seems to be on the decline 😬.
  12. [R14] Merge Gardens 4/5 · US New issue and an ask: The game reboots after merging too many eggs at once; I got 4 swan nests after tapping two maxed stars. If I tap on all the nests to unload eggs and then merged all the swan eggs and leveled up swans, the game crashed and rebooted from the title page as soon as I tapped on the x to exit the new Discovery Book. Fortunately I didn’t loose anything but had to, in the end, tap ou
  13. [R4] Merge Gardens 2/5 · US the more you play, the more it’s not free to play friendly: at later levels you need to open basket or hangers WHICH need gems to open OR you can pay gems to skip it… then other levels you need mystery eggs which (who would’ve guessed) needs gems… between using gems on levels and quest to level up, there’s just not enough as a free to play player to use without paying which is why the game require
  14. [R7] Merge Gardens 2/5 · US Can’t Recommend: I have been playing this game for more than 4 years. Tons of time and some real money invested. It was fun and rewarding until about 2 years ago. Now, with every “update,” they take more rewards away, they make the puzzles even harder (even the ones you’ve done before but have to do again because they run out), and they keep adding new “currencies” that you have to collect before
  15. [R11] Merge Gardens 4/5 · US Great game, but…: Hands down one of the best games I’ve played. But once you get to a certain level, unlocking parts of the garden are time consuming. My biggest gripe is the wildlife count requirement. It is insanely impossible to keep up as you progress. You will have to spend money to do it or be stuck. The only things that boost you up are magnificent eggs, and they are rare to come by. I curr
  16. [R25] Merge Gardens 1/5 · US Cruel Tasks to level up!: This is a fun game in the beginning but once you reach the higher levels the tasks are cruel and mean to level up! For example: 10,000 wildlife points. You only get 3-5 points merging your birds and the most points which takes a lot of time and work to make a magnificent bird nest will at most yield 150 points! Also anytime you make ANY complaint to the people at the app,
  17. [R73] Merge Dragons! 1/5 · US Not receiving ad rewards: The game gives you options to watch an ad to receive a reward. The ads always play when you press watch, but you don’t always get your reward. I would try to report this in game support but I can’t even find a way to contact the game because the support button just gives you a bunch of articles.
  18. [R82] Merge Dragons! 1/5 · US Avoid this game at all cost: They have changed so much about this game. I have spent a lot of money on it over the years and I did so because I wanted to play it but they have destroyed it. My original campus disappeared. I have been forced to play something called Dawnville. A Beta thing they FORCED on the players. My original camp is gone. All of the wonders I created are gone. Of the items I bo
  19. [R84] Merge Dragons! 3/5 · US DON’T delete the app! There’s no warning….: Been playing this gsme for YEARS. All progress gone. Like one is wont to do, after an update hosed the app, I deleted it and reinstalled it. Usually you can delete an app and preserve your data. Guess what you can’t do with Merge Dragons. Well, guess it is time to move on yo some other game now. Too bad. I was enjoying getting back into it after a time
  20. [R55] Merge Gardens 1/5 · US SCAM!!!: Don’t waste your money on this trash game! It makes it nearly impossible to advance without spending lots of money!!
  21. [R63] Merge Dragons! 3/5 · US Gg: A genuinely good game if you can get past the micro transactions!
  22. [R33] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Crashing: Great game but it keeps crashing making me lose my bonuses
  23. [R21] Merge Gardens 3/5 · US Last update broke Apple Pencil use: I used to enjoy this game a but the last update made it impossible to play with an Apple Pencil and now it is much less fun. Please fix!!

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