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

Merge Cooking® vs Travel Town

Merge Cooking® 4.7★ · Free + IAP 45
Winner Travel Town
Travel Town 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60

Travel Town is generally preferred for its engaging gameplay and ability to relieve stress, despite frequent pop-ups and pay-to-progress mechanics, while Merge Cooking® struggles with false advertising and severe energy limitations.

Full reviews: Merge Cooking® · Travel Town

Travel Town offers an addictive merge game experience that many find relaxing, but it's criticized for numerous pop-ups, frequent crashes, and a strong push towards in-app purchases. Merge Cooking® provides a unique twist on merging games with cooking mechanics, but it faces significant backlash for misleading advertisements, severe energy limitations, and a 'pay-to-play' model.

Head to head

Gameplay & Features edge: Travel TownR10R13R14R25
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® offers a unique twist on merging by incorporating cooking machines and food creation, which some users find fresh and engaging R14. However, many users are frustrated by misleading ads that depict a different game entirely R10R13R25R31. The game also includes mini-games, but some find them unwinnable and annoying .
Travel Town Travel Town is praised for its addictive and relaxing merge gameplay, with many users enjoying the combination and leveling up . It also features mini-games, but these are often forced upon players and can be annoying . Some users report issues with specific game features like the vault blasters being too difficult .
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR1R3R7R9
Merge Cooking® Users of Merge Cooking® report frequent issues with energy and generator cooldowns, making gameplay slow and frustrating R3R9R15R18. Some also experience app freezes and lost progress R1R43. The game is also criticized for using AI for illustrations, which some find lazy R7.
Travel Town Travel Town users frequently complain about an excessive number of pop-up screens that appear before and during gameplay, making it irritating to start playing . The app also suffers from frequent crashes and freezing, leading to lost progress and items R69R70.
Price/Value & Monetization tieR3R4R15R18
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® is heavily criticized for being a 'money-driven' or 'pay-to-play' game, with users feeling forced to spend real money due to low energy limits and slow generator reloads R3R4R15R18. Some users report that spending money doesn't even improve the experience .
Travel Town Travel Town is also seen as a 'pay-to-play' game, with many users feeling that progress, especially in events, requires spending money R73. Users report that energy runs out quickly and that rewards for watching ads often don't work .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R12R28R43
Merge Cooking® Users report issues such as the app freezing and losing items R1R28. There are also complaints about not receiving promised extra energy during events R12 and lost progress after making purchases R43.
Travel Town Travel Town frequently crashes or freezes, especially after updates or when transitioning between game sections R69R70. Some users have lost progress, coins, jewels, and even joker cards due to these bugs . Ad rewards also often fail to pay out .
Customer Support edge: Merge Cooking®R1R28R70R73
Merge Cooking® One user reported a problem with lost crystals and energy and asked for the problem to be resolved R1. Another user, who made an in-app purchase, expressed frustration over being 'scammed' R28.
Travel Town Users report issues with customer service, including slow responses, unhelpful advice, and even being 'gaslighted' after making purchases or experiencing glitches R70R73. The Facebook trade group is also described as poorly supported R73.
Pick Merge Cooking® if

You are looking for a merge game with a unique cooking twist and don't mind frequent waiting periods or potentially spending money to progress R14. You might also appreciate the game's cute graphics and relaxing nature .

Pick Travel Town if

You enjoy addictive merge games that can help relieve stress and are willing to tolerate frequent pop-ups and a strong emphasis on in-app purchases . You might also find the mini-games engaging, despite them sometimes being forced .

Evidence note: Both apps are free-to-play with in-app purchases. The negative skew in recent reviews for both apps largely stems from the 'free-tier friction' where non-paying users hit paywalls or experience limitations, which is a common complaint in this genre. Paid users, who self-select as satisfied, are less vocal about these issues.

Frequently asked

Do these games require in-app purchases to progress?
Yes, both Merge Cooking® and Travel Town are heavily criticized for being 'pay-to-play' games where significant progress, especially in later levels or events, often requires spending real money due to limited energy and slow generation rates R3R4R18R40.
Are the advertisements for Merge Cooking® accurate?
No, many users report that the advertisements for Merge Cooking® are misleading and do not accurately depict the actual gameplay, often showing different types of merge or puzzle games R10R13R25R31.
Do Travel Town and Merge Cooking® have performance issues?
Yes, both games have reported performance issues; Travel Town users frequently experience crashes, freezing, and lost progress R69R70, while Merge Cooking® users report app freezes and lost items R1R28R43.

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. [R10] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Stupid deceiving app: I was playing my regular game and this came up as an ad and I was playing the ad and cooking food so I downloaded the game because it was fun. Turns out it was not even the same! It’s deceiving and I’m deleting it now!!
  2. [R13] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US not like the ad: i wanted the cake sorting game not this
  3. [R14] Merge Cooking® 4/5 · US Unique: I usually hate merging games, but the use of machines to cook certain food and make certain things instead of only merging for them gives it a fresh new twist. The only thing I wish for is that there be more of the cooking fever style levels. I want more bonus levels like that and with different food themes, otherwise I feel like there’s no point in the original bonus levels being there in
  4. [R25] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Bait and switch: Why?!?! Why does nobody understand that we want to play the game you made up play in the forced ad. It is pretty simple.
  5. [R1] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Error: Today my app froze and the suitcase with crystals and energy disappeared. Please fix this problem. · translated
  6. [R3] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US great game BUT money driven: Everyone loves a game that has no ads, YES. But, when you run out of energy or your generators run out of energy, it takes long to reload and it’s very easy to get caught up spending real money. vERY EASY. Especially because as the game progresses, it takes longer or more energy to create the things needed. Also, I don’t think the ads correctly depict how the game is p
  7. [R7] Merge Cooking® 2/5 · US Was great before AI: I loved this game but now they’re using AI for their illustrations. It feels lazy and like they don’t really care about their players if they can’t pay someone to illustrate a game board. Seriously.
  8. [R9] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Way too slow: This game takes waaay too long for energy/generators to reload
  9. [R4] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Massive pay wall: If you want to play, you have to pay. You get only 100 energy a day and each level you need about 1000. Don’t waste your time or money
  10. [R15] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Fun but….: Fun game but the generators run out too quickly which clearly makes it about money
  11. [R18] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Love but Hate: I absolutely loved this game but unfortunately I’m currently at a level 55 and it is taking forever to even complete one meal. I have played this game non stop but it doesn’t get anywhere with only a max of 100 energy. The only way to continuous keeping playing is by spending an insane amount of money
  12. [R12] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US It’s mid: I used to love this game. I noticed that when you’re supposed to get extra energy you don’t actually get it. There was an 30 event where you finish orders in a certain a moment time and you get extra energy and I’ve been finishing orders and I haven’t got any extra energy .
  13. [R28] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Am I donating to be scammed or what?: 7ljwBvMHnIYF5Mrfo9G6 I made KETA, the fish was just lying there minding its own business, waiting for its time. I didn't even have any orders for it! I complete a round, the tasks refresh, and then red caviar is needed. I searched everywhere, but my KETA is nowhere to be found! And this isn't the first time! My patience has just run out! · translated
  14. [R43] Merge Cooking® 2/5 · US Lost Progress & Purchase: The app is decent, but it’s supposed to save progress through multiple devices. When you log into a new device with your same email. After I made a purchase I lost everything.
  15. [R70] Travel Town 2/5 · US Love the game, but recent versions cause crashing: I’ve been playing this game for several years with no challenges and recently it crashes or freezes since the addition of the dream quest feature. Contacted customer service and they said it was my device, however, my device is shown as being compatible with this game.
  16. [R73] Travel Town 2/5 · US Poor trade support: Facebook trade group is poorly supported. Posts don’t get approved for hours so when it is approved the person that posted isn’t always available. Finding trades is rough. Use AI to screen posts for quick approval. The amount of energy given and ability to complete tasks is ridiculous. You can never finish weekly tasks without spending money. Even when you spend money it
  17. [R40] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Time Consuming, Little Reward: Hooks you and makes it easy for the first 5 levels then becomes increasingly impossible without paying real money. You would need to lay down dozens of real dollars a day to make progress on the game, and it gets too frustrating.
  18. [R31] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Not the same as the ad says😔💔: Make it like the ad
  19. [R69] Travel Town 3/5 · US 😞😞: I love the game, but keep closing and freezing and also I hate to delete the game.

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