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

The Tower vs TDS

The Tower 4.2★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner TDS
TDS 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75

TDS offers a more polished experience with engaging gameplay, but both apps struggle with intrusive ads and progression issues.

Full reviews: The Tower · TDS

TDS generally receives higher lifetime ratings and praise for its addictive gameplay and design, despite recent updates introducing energy systems and increasing ad frequency. The Tower, while having a dedicated fanbase, is plagued by severe ad-related bugs, slow progression, and perceived pay-to-win mechanics.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: TDSR3R15R16R21
The Tower The Tower offers a grindy but fun experience with a focus on upgrades and strategic choices, though some users quickly run out of content, finding only four chapters/levels R3R21. There are complaints about the module gacha system being unfair and a lack of options to reset ultimate weapon upgrades R15R16.
TDS TDS is praised for its addictive gameplay, good design, and the ability to upgrade almost anything . However, some users find the game repetitive with only five different maps and no real reward for progression after a certain point . Recent updates have also introduced bosses and block abilities, which some found unbalanced .
Ease of Use and Progression tieR5R10R13R17
The Tower The Tower has a steep learning curve for upgrades but becomes fun once understood R5. Many users find progression incredibly slow, feeling like they make zero progress even after hours of play, with upgrades offering minimal improvements R10R13R17. Some describe it as a 'job' rather than a game due to the grind R17.
TDS TDS is generally considered to have fun and easy mechanics to learn R54. However, recent updates have introduced an 'energy' system, limiting playtime unless users pay, which many find frustrating R54. There are also reports of earned coins not being fully added after rounds, hindering progression .
Reliability and Bugs edge: The TowerR1R6R7R8
The Tower The Tower suffers from significant bugs, particularly with ads that fail to close, forcing app restarts and loss of rewards R1R8R19. Other bugs include not earning gold or cash after resuming a game and purchased perks not being restored after reinstallation R6R7. The app also reportedly drains phone battery and runs devices hot .
TDS TDS has reports of glitches where enemies disappear after certain levels . Similar to The Tower, some users experience ads that do not close . There are also issues with earned coins not being accurately reflected in the lobby after a battle .
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR4R9R14R15
The Tower The Tower is perceived as 'pay to win' by many users, with essential progression tied to spending real money, especially for modules and tickets R4R9R14R15. While some enjoy the game enough to buy passes, others feel the paywall is too high for what is offered R9.
TDS TDS is a free-to-play game with in-app purchases, but recent updates have introduced an 'energy' system that limits gameplay unless money is spent R54. The option to remove ads costs £9.99 per month, which many users find exorbitant and poor value compared to other subscriptions .
Ads Experience tieR1R8R18R19
The Tower The Tower is heavily criticized for its ads. Users report ads being excessively long, repeating, forcing interaction, and often lacking a close button, leading to app freezes or crashes R1R8R18R19. Many find the ads more annoying than the game itself R36.
TDS TDS also has a significant problem with ads, with many users calling it an 'ad festival' R69. Ads are often forced after every game, even when declining rewards, and some don't close . The option to remove ads for £9.99 a month is seen as ridiculous . Some users suggest turning off Wi-Fi to avoid ads .
Pick The Tower if

you enjoy a grindy, strategic idle game and are willing to tolerate significant ad issues and a slow progression curve R5R21.

Pick TDS if

you are looking for an addictive, well-designed game with easy mechanics and don't mind the recent introduction of an energy system or frequent ads .

Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of negative reviews related to ads and progression, which heavily influenced the 'Reliability and Bugs' and 'Ads Experience' dimensions. TDS's higher lifetime rating is somewhat contradicted by recent negative reviews regarding updates and the energy system.

Frequently asked

Do these games have a lot of ads?
Yes, both games are heavily criticized for intrusive and frequent ads; The Tower's ads often crash the game or lack a close button, while TDS forces ads after nearly every game, even when declining rewards R1R8R36R69.
Is it possible to play without paying?
While both games are free to download, The Tower is often described as 'pay to win' due to slow progression and reliance on purchases for modules and tickets, and TDS recently introduced an 'energy' system that limits free playtime R4R15R32R54.
Are there any known bugs or glitches?
Yes, The Tower has severe bugs where ads don't close, purchases aren't recorded after reinstallation, and gold/cash stops being earned R1R6R7R8. TDS users report enemies disappearing after certain levels and issues with earned coins not being fully credited .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 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] The Tower 3/5 · US Only 4 levels, unfinished game: You run out of content very quickly. Only four chapters/levels. Ran out of things to do in just a couple hours. There’s a whole currency system for “diamonds” but there’s nowhere to spend them. This is a proof of concept more than a game.
  2. [R15] The Tower 4/5 · US The module gacha is trash!!: They say it is 2% to get epic module. But guess what? 150 pulls and 0 epic. This game has 0 pitty in gacha. Stone is very limited unless you spend money so the only thing that help new/beginner (I’m at T10-104) players to catch up is modules. But 150 pulls and not even one epic? This is so trash.
  3. [R16] The Tower 1/5 · US Ridiculous: Give us the option to reset ultimate weapon upgrades.
  4. [R21] The Tower 5/5 · US Really relaxing game: I love how u have to chose between a lot of different styles to win or beat a fight because it makes people have to think more on why to do in the which makes more fun and because it also makes it fun for new styles
  5. [R5] The Tower 5/5 · US Fun!: Took me a while to figure out the upgrades , but once I got it , it’s a lot of fun
  6. [R10] The Tower 1/5 · US Worst game ever: This game was so terrible at the beginning and in the middle part those like no upgrades like I just kept playing and playing and playing and I made no progress. This is the worst game I’ve probably ever played. I just kept dying on the same level level five.
  7. [R13] The Tower 4/5 · US Good overall: Good game, after a couple weeks of play, you really have to grind a lot to farm enough resources to level up which is annoying, but still very fun
  8. [R17] The Tower 4/5 · US Great design brutal play through: It’s a really cool idea and honestly fun and then you hit the progression and feel like you are making zero progress I don’t have that much time in the game but when I look at it or play it it feels more like a job then a game. It’s like CoC but worse.
  9. [R1] The Tower 2/5 · US Fun game, but can’t close ads: It’s a fun game and I am trying to get the bonus ad gems, but after watching the ads, it is impossible to close the ads without closing out of the app, which makes you lose the gems. It looks like you can play the game in the ad, but I’m not doing all that. I even tried reporting an ad to get it to close. It stated clearly that would close the ad, but forfeit any rew
  10. [R6] The Tower 3/5 · US Recent bug: I’ve been experiencing a bug where I don’t earn anymore gold or cash after a good amount of waves. Last time this happened I was in wave 502 and I wanted to continue the game later. After I resume to the same game, it glitches and I don’t earn anymore gold or cash.
  11. [R7] The Tower 2/5 · US Purchases aren’t recorded: I paid for a few perks, simply because I enjoyed the game. My phone had problems, had to reinstall everything, was unable to get my perks back without purchasing them a second time. Feels crooked, so I moved on to something else.
  12. [R8] The Tower 4/5 · US Ads crash the game: It’s a fun game, but watching ads for rewards crashes the game. the ad plays, it says reward granted, but when you click the x button the whole app freezes until you restart it. it doesn’t give me the rewards, nor does it give me credit towards completing the daily missions.
  13. [R4] The Tower 1/5 · US To hard: This game is fun but it just to hard to play and to much p2w
  14. [R9] The Tower 3/5 · US The tower: Game is good. A little pay wall for what it offers. And has ads
  15. [R14] The Tower 1/5 · US Pay to win.: Garbage
  16. [R18] The Tower 1/5 · US Ads too long: Stupid - ads too long or never ends.
  17. [R19] The Tower 4/5 · US Where’s the close button?: A really good game, but the ads for coin bonuses just suck, some are like 1 minute long for a 5 second clip repeating over and over, plus, sometimes the X never appears or are too small
  18. [R36] The Tower 1/5 · US Good game. Worst ads ever.: This is a good game. The progress is too slow though, but the very worst thing about it is the ads. I’m used to ads in “free” games but this games ads seem excessively long and force you to interact with them. Sometimes the timer on the bottom of the ad stops randomly and some of the ads repeat 2 or 3 times. Hint: if you make the ads more annoying than they already are
  19. [R69] TDS 1/5 · GB Forced ads: Forces ad on you after every game is a big no from me 👎
  20. [R32] The Tower 1/5 · US Not an Idle game + Censors other games: I played this game for close to half a year and it gets more and more pay to win as the game moves forward. The devs have been known to do under the table deals with “whales” and they ban/mute people for even mentioning other idle games. Don’t let the ads deceive you, the dev does not care about you or the community.
  21. [R54] TDS 2/5 · GB Fun… until you run out of energy: I was really enjoying the game, it’s got great music, fun and easy mechanics to learn. But then… you run out of energy so you can’t even play it now unless you wait 20 minutes - for ONE more go?! Unless, of course, you spend money. Honestly, I could happily play for a couple hours at a time if this feature was not included. If anything, I was watching the ads as

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store