Head-to-head
Township vs Gardenscapes
Township
65
Winner
Township
Gardenscapes
60
Township offers a more diverse gameplay experience with a community aspect, while Gardenscapes focuses primarily on match-3 puzzles and garden renovation, though both suffer from misleading advertising and aggressive monetization.
Full reviews: Township · Gardenscapes
Township and Gardenscapes are both free-to-play mobile games with in-app purchases, developed by Playrix. Both are criticized for misleading ads that don't reflect actual gameplay and for aggressive monetization strategies that make progression difficult without spending money. Township offers a city-building and farming simulation with mini-games, while Gardenscapes is primarily a match-3 puzzle game with a garden renovation storyline.
Head to head
Township Township offers a mix of city-building, farming, and puzzles, with a community aspect for sharing and helping R2. However, many users feel the mini-games and quests are tedious or too difficult without spending money R5. A significant complaint is that the actual game is nothing like the ads, which often show different puzzle types R1R4R9.
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes is centered around match-3 puzzles and renovating a mansion's garden . Players enjoy the relaxing and challenging nature of the puzzles . Similar to Township, many users are frustrated by misleading ads that depict different gameplay, such as pin-pulling puzzles . Recent updates have changed boosters, making them less effective and levels harder .
Township Many Township players find it increasingly difficult to progress without spending real money, especially at higher levels R5R9R10R15. Issues like barn storage being temporary or reverting R3R7R13 and pop-up ads R4R22R52 hinder the experience. Some find it hard to collect enough coins for necessary items .
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes is also criticized for making levels nearly impossible without purchases, especially at higher levels, leading to a 'pay-to-play' experience . Players report that boosters are less effective and rewards like coins have been reduced in recent updates . The game is also noted for a lack of an exit option .
Township Township users report glitches, such as formulas not working, barn capacity issues, and connectivity problems R3R51. Some mention needing to redownload the game frequently R60. There are also complaints about difficulty contacting support through the game R13.
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes players experience issues with the game not opening, showing a white screen, or crashing after updates . A significant concern is the lack of support, with users reporting no response after purchasing items that weren't delivered R70. Some users also report battery drain and overheating issues .
Township Township is free with in-app purchases, but many users feel it's impossible to advance without spending money R5R6R9R10. There are complaints about temporary upgrades that revert R7R13 and a 'piggy bank' feature that requires payment to open earnings . Some users also report unexpected payment requirements after updates .
Gardenscapes Gardenscapes is also free with in-app purchases, but users frequently describe it as a 'money grab' or 'pay-to-play' due to the difficulty of levels and the need to buy power-ups . Some players suspect the game manipulates gameplay to encourage spending . There are also reports of being charged more than authorized for purchases .
Pick Township if
You prefer a game with a mix of city-building, farming, and puzzles, along with a community aspect, and are willing to tolerate misleading ads and potential monetization pressure R2.
Pick Gardenscapes if
You are primarily interested in match-3 puzzles with a garden renovation theme, enjoy a challenge, and don't mind the recent changes to boosters and increased difficulty, provided you can overlook the misleading ads .
Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of recent negative reviews, particularly regarding misleading advertisements and aggressive monetization strategies, which contrasts with their higher lifetime ratings. The free-to-play model with in-app purchases for both games means that much of the negativity stems from users who are frustrated by the pressure to spend money to progress.
Frequently asked
Are Township and Gardenscapes like their advertisements?
Do Township and Gardenscapes require in-app purchases to progress?
Are there many ads in Township?
Does Gardenscapes have good customer support?
No, Gardenscapes users have reported zero support, with complaints of purchased items not being delivered due to bugs and no response from customer service despite stated response commitments R70.
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.
- [R1] Township Fake: Nothing like the demo.
- [R2] Township Addictive!!: This has a wee bit of everything. Puzzles & challenges are fun and always changing which keeps things interesting. Plus the community aspect is nice if you find a group that shares and helps often. Overall I can’t stop playing.
- [R4] Township BAD!!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬: SOOOOOO MUCH ADSSSSS🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😡😡🤬😡😤😤😤🤬🤬😡😠😠😤😤😠😠😤🤬😡😡🤬🤬😤😤😠😠😤😤😤🤬😡😡🤬😤😤😠😠😤😠😠😤😠😤🤬🤬😡😡🤬😤😤😠😤🤬🤬😡😡🤬😤😤😠😠😠😤😤🤬😡😡🤬😤🤬😡😡🤬🤬😤😤😠(also the ads are waaaaaay different from the actual game)🤬😡🤬😡🤬😤😠😠😤😤🤬🤬😡😡🤬😤😤😠😠😤😤🤬😡😡🤬😤😠😠😤😤🤬😡😡🤬🤬😤😤😠😠😤😤🤬😡l hate this game so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so
- [R5] Township Probably gonna delete this app soon: I personally wouldn’t recommend it’s impossible basically impossible to do anything without spending money.gold cards are next to impossible to get not to mention you can’t send them to teammates.don’t even get me started on the quest game it’s no reasons I should have to do 60 task in the matter 7 days to get a new title.overall it isn’t fun anymore like most
- [R3] Township Very glitchy: My formulas don’t always work like the two times field harvest and my barn update just jacked up I had 403 capacity and opened to play and say 360 I can’t move forward because of this very disappointed. I was enjoying it up until this started
- [R7] Township Temporary upgrades: This could have an excellent and fun game. Instead they gouge you at every turn with temporary upgrades to your barn, and they don’t tell you it’s temporary until you contact support about the fact. So, when it reverts you cannot collect items needed to actually play! I deleted the app and will never play another Playtrix game because that name is literal!
- [R13] Township Seriously?: I get up this morning and go to play my little Township game only find that my barn storage expansion has been downgraded back to its original state. In other words, it went from 240 to 180. And there's no easy way to contact the Township team through the game. So, I did what I normally do when I get irritated with these games, I deleted it. This is probably some little quirk on the p
- [R51] Township Glitches: While online it will tell me I'm not. I can use other apps and they work fine. Will take several attempts and still tell me I'm offline. As for gameplay, it would be nice to delete messages from the chat after they've been read. I kicked a person off my team and she was still shown doing regatta and in chat. I removed from friends and group but took several days to get her off, but I'd l
- [R60] Township Needs downloading roughly every two weeks.: Good game, i’ve been on it for about a year and a half. Downfall you need to download a the game every two weeks to carry on playing.
- [R6] Township Good: My scale of W.O.A.H W=WOAH O=Okay A=And where’s the rest of it H=Horrible I would rate this game an O .This game is nothing like the adds but it is fun. You may end up spending money on this game as time goes on.
- [R9] Township Not as advertised: OK, so I have been playing this game for years, but when I see the advertisement for it in Duolingo or other places, the actual game is not at all like the advertisements. It’s not a bad game. I do enjoy it, but once you get to the higher levels, you have to pay money and order to pass the level. Once you pay money, the next time you play the level you surprisingly pass even t
- [R16] Township Not like the ad!: Nothing like the ad!! Don’t get it!!
- [R10] Township Good game: I use to love this game not until they upgrade it to a whole different game…. Levels getting harder and harder yall broke my wallet to keep buying money just to pass every levels this game supposedly a stress relief and having fun time for yourself not making you more stress bring back to old versions
- [R15] Township Fun to play but cons you into spending $$$: I love the playing this game, however it 100% puts you in positions where you basically have to spend actual money if you want to advance. It can keep you busy for hours but definitely makes it hard to earn township cash otherwise your buying it. it also intentionally does not give you the game opportunities earn the full card collections when your 2 car
- [R22] Township Pop ups: Please stop the stack of pop ups about all the different games and events all at once when I open the app it is SUPER annoying
- [R52] Township I don’t recommend if you don’t want no ads: Literally millions of ads on this game I don’t like it
- [R70] Gardenscapes Zero support: I bought boosters and upgrades 4 days ago which were not delivered as there were bugs in the game that deleted them immediately. I have been trying for the last 4 days to contact support via email, in app support and even Twitter (X) but despite a 48 hour response commitment they just refuse to respond. I’ve been playing for 10 years now and maybe it’s time to call it quits. Unfortun
Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store