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

Merge Cooking® vs Tasty Travels

Merge Cooking® 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Tasty Travels
Tasty Travels 4.6★ · Free + IAP 70

Tasty Travels offers a slightly more balanced free-to-play experience with fewer forced ads, making it a better choice for players who prefer not to spend money, despite both games suffering from misleading advertising.

Full reviews: Merge Cooking® · Tasty Travels

Both Merge Cooking® and Tasty Travels are merge games that face significant criticism for false advertising and aggressive monetization. While Merge Cooking® has a higher lifetime rating, recent reviews highlight severe paywalls and energy issues. Tasty Travels, despite similar monetization complaints, is praised for fewer forced ads and a more generous free experience.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay tieR2R7R14R22
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® offers a unique twist with machines to cook food, distinguishing it from typical merge games, and includes mini-games, though some users find the side races unwinnable and frustrating R14. Players enjoy the cute graphics and satisfying merging combinations R2. However, some recent updates have been criticized for requiring more energy per item and using AI for illustrations, which feels lazy to players R7R22.
Tasty Travels Tasty Travels is described as a fun, addictive merge game with beautiful Japanese-inspired artwork and a calming soundtrack . It offers side games and events, with users particularly enjoying 'Candy Party' . However, progression becomes very difficult in higher levels, and some updates have led to worse graphics .
Ease of Use and Progression tieR1R4R9R18
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® starts easy but quickly becomes difficult to progress without spending money due to limited energy and slow generator reload times R4R9R18. Players report needing about 1000 energy per level but only receiving 100 per day, making continuous play impossible without purchases R4R18. Some users also report issues with lost progress and purchases R1.
Tasty Travels Tasty Travels is initially easy to pick up and play, with clear instructions for new users . However, similar to App A, progression becomes extremely difficult at higher levels (around level 25-28), requiring significant waiting or spending . Some users also report issues with energy disappearing or not receiving earned gems .
Reliability and Support edge: Merge Cooking®R1R12R28R58
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® users report issues such as the app freezing, items disappearing, and not receiving extra energy from events R1R12R28. There are also complaints about the game changing after in-app purchases, stopping options for additional energy R58.
Tasty Travels Tasty Travels has serious reliability concerns, with multiple users reporting fraudulent charges and mysterious billing for in-app purchases even when not using the phone . Support is described as unhelpful and ignoring complaints . Users also report energy and items disappearing .
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) edge: Tasty TravelsR3R4R15R18
Merge Cooking® Merge Cooking® is heavily criticized as a 'money-driven' game with a 'massive pay wall' R3R4. Players feel forced to spend real money due to quickly depleted energy, slow generator reloads, and the increasing energy cost for higher levels R3R15R18R21. Some users who spent money found it still didn't help progression significantly . The game also has frequent pop-ups pushing for purchases .
Tasty Travels Tasty Travels is also seen as 'pay to win' and 'too expensive,' with users feeling manipulated into daily purchases R66. However, it receives praise for having 'no ads unless you want to watch it' and being generous with its energy system, allowing advancement without spending . Despite this, many users still find it difficult to progress without paying, especially for certain rewards or to clear a full board .
Pick Merge Cooking® if

you are looking for a merge game with a unique cooking twist and don't mind potentially encountering more aggressive monetization tactics and pop-up ads R14.

Pick Tasty Travels if

you prefer a merge game with fewer forced ads and a more generous energy system for free players, and you enjoy cute graphics and side events, even if higher-level progression still requires patience or spending .

Evidence note: Both apps suffer from widespread complaints about false advertising, where the actual game does not match the ads shown (R10, R13, R25, R31, , , , , for Merge Cooking®; , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , for Tasty Travels). This is a significant factor for user dissatisfaction across both games.

Frequently asked

Are Merge Cooking® and Tasty Travels free to play?
Both Merge Cooking® and Tasty Travels are free to download and play, but they both heavily rely on in-app purchases (IAP) for energy and progression, with many users feeling it's difficult to advance without spending money R3R4R21R66.
Do these games have a lot of ads?
Merge Cooking® has a mixed experience with ads; some users praise its lack of ads, while others report numerous pop-ups for purchases and ads for rewards R3R5R32R45. Tasty Travels is generally praised for having no forced ads, only optional ones for rewards, but it does have many pop-ups for other games and purchases .
Are the games depicted in the ads accurate?
No, a significant number of reviews for both Merge Cooking® and Tasty Travels state that the actual gameplay is completely different from what is advertised in their promotional videos and playable ads (R10, R13, R25, R31, , , , , for Merge Cooking®; , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , for Tasty Travels).

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] Merge Cooking® 5/5 · US good game!: a great game to turn my brain off too but also solve interesting puzzles
  2. [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.
  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. [R22] Merge Cooking® 2/5 · US New update: The game has a new feature where u need two energy for 1 item. Better items I guess but still getting low items on a 2 energy level. Water????? Have played for aloooooong time have went through many upgrades that rip us all off. Done playing this crooked game. DONT play this game, trust me not worth it.
  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. [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
  7. [R9] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Way too slow: This game takes waaay too long for energy/generators to reload
  8. [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
  9. [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 .
  10. [R28] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Am I donating money to be scammed or what?: 7ljwBvMHnIYF5Mrfo9G6 I made a chum salmon, it 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 chum salmon is nowhere to be found! And this isn't the first time! My patience has just run out! · translated
  11. [R58] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · GB Don’t make in-app purchases: Paying for anything stops the options of getting additional energy. Game changes following any payment.
  12. [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
  13. [R15] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Fun but….: Fun game but the generators run out too quickly which clearly makes it about money
  14. [R21] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · US Fun, but lowkey a money grab: This game is very fun and addicting, but you run out of energy and diamonds extremely fast and the only way to get energy is waiting like 3 hours or spending money. I get it, it’s a business, but it’s excessive and kinda makes me not want to play sometimes. It’s the same reason I stopped playing cooking fever. The ad of the game makes it seem endless, but when you dow
  15. [R66] Tasty Travels 3/5 · US Too expensive: I find this game addictive but in a negative way -that it doesn’t allow you to keep playing without purchasing. The ability to watch ads doesn’t get you through. I found myself having to purchase every day. And there is no substantive level up that lets you coast for a while. I find that manipulative.
  16. [R5] Merge Cooking® 5/5 · US The best relaxing game: Perfect game to relax. Little to absolutely no ads. Cute graphics. Great mini games. Great all around
  17. [R32] Merge Cooking® 4/5 · US 9 ads to click out of: 9 ads I had to click out of just to start playing the game. 9! That’s brutally annoying.
  18. [R45] Merge Cooking® 3/5 · GB Good game but too many ads for too little reward: Has all the hall marks of a good game but let down in later levels by too much grinding which involves going through too many adverts to essentially hardly progress at all which ruins the game.
  19. [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!!
  20. [R13] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US not like the ad: i wanted the cake sorting game not this
  21. [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.
  22. [R31] Merge Cooking® 1/5 · US Not the same as the ad says😔💔: Make it like the ad

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