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

Candy Crush Soda Saga vs Candy Crush Friends Saga

Candy Crush Soda Saga 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Candy Crush Soda Saga
Candy Crush Friends Saga 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60

While both games suffer from similar monetization issues and technical glitches, Candy Crush Soda Saga has a slight edge due to its core gameplay still being enjoyable for many, despite recent negative updates.

Full reviews: Candy Crush Soda Saga · Candy Crush Friends Saga

Both Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga are free-to-play match-3 games with in-app purchases, offering similar core gameplay but differing in specific features and character interactions. Users for both games express frustration with increasing difficulty, excessive ads, and various technical bugs, often feeling pressured to spend money to progress.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay edge: Candy Crush Soda SagaR1R4R7R8
Candy Crush Soda Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga players appreciate the core gameplay, with some finding it a relaxing way to unwind R8. However, recent updates have reduced the number of moves per level, making the game significantly harder and less fun R1R4R7R16. Some users also report specific level bugs R9R15 and missing features like scores or second chances R12.
Candy Crush Friends Saga Candy Crush Friends Saga introduces 'friends' and characters that add a 'fun spin' to the original game, with users enjoying the characters, costumes, and holiday themes . However, many users report issues with character sound effects missing and characters not throwing special candies when they should . Similar to Soda Saga, levels are perceived as becoming 'boring and impossible to pass' .
Ease of Use and Difficulty tieR1R3R4R7
Candy Crush Soda Saga Many Candy Crush Soda Saga players find the game increasingly frustrating and difficult, with levels designed to force purchases R4R7R14. The reduction in moves per level is a major point of contention R1R7R16R19. Some users also experience issues with streaks being lost R3 and game progress restarting .
Candy Crush Friends Saga Candy Crush Friends Saga also faces criticism for its high difficulty, with users stating levels become 'impossible to pass' . Players feel the game is engineered to frustrate them into buying boosters R76. There are reports of losing progress, with levels resetting and daily rewards not registering .
Reliability and Performance tieR9R15R24R28
Candy Crush Soda Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga users report numerous technical issues, including constant freezing , ads crashing or freezing the game R24R33, and the game requiring Wi-Fi for offline play after an update R28. Some also mention specific level bugs R9R15 and event glitches .
Candy Crush Friends Saga Candy Crush Friends Saga also suffers from significant reliability problems. Users report ads freezing and crashing the game , and the game crashing or resetting . A common issue is the disappearance of events and challenges R78R81. There are also specific bugs with characters and level mechanics .
Price and Value (Free + IAP) tieR7R12R14R16
Candy Crush Soda Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga is free, but many users feel it has become a 'pay to play' game, with levels designed to force purchases of extra moves and boosters R14R16R19. There's frustration over the lack of free daily boosters R7 and the removal of 'second chances' R12. Ads are prevalent and often disruptive R27R51.
Candy Crush Friends Saga Candy Crush Friends Saga is also free, but users widely criticize the game for being 'predatory' and 'engineered to frustrate players' to push overpriced boosters and lives R76. Many users complain about the overwhelming number and length of ads , with some feeling that the game actively removes opportunities for free progress, like watching ads for extra tries .
Support and Communication tieR13R15R78R81
Candy Crush Soda Saga Candy Crush Soda Saga users report difficulty finding support or receiving responses to issues. One user mentioned they couldn't find a way to send a support ticket for a broken level R15. Another stated that creators ignore reports of scam ads or problems R13.
Candy Crush Friends Saga Candy Crush Friends Saga users express frustration with ongoing, unresolved issues, particularly the frequent disappearance of events and challenges R78R81. Reviewers feel the developers are 'lazy and neglecting' the game, and that issues persist for weeks without resolution .
Pick Candy Crush Soda Saga if

Pick Candy Crush Soda Saga if you prefer a more traditional Candy Crush experience and are willing to tolerate increased difficulty and ads, as many still find its core gameplay enjoyable and a good stress release R8.

Pick Candy Crush Friends Saga if

Pick Candy Crush Friends Saga if you enjoy games with character interactions and unique abilities , and are prepared for potential glitches with these features and frequent event disappearances R78.

Evidence note: Both apps have a high lifetime rating, but recent reviews are heavily skewed negative, indicating a decline in user satisfaction due to similar issues across both games. The free-to-play model with heavy IAP pushes contributes significantly to user frustration in both apps.

Frequently asked

Are Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga free to play?
Yes, both Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga are free to download and play, but they include in-app purchases (IAP) for items like extra moves and boosters R14R25R43R76.
Do these games have a lot of ads?
Yes, both games are heavily criticized for having numerous, often long, and sometimes glitchy ads that interrupt gameplay and can freeze the app R24R27R33R51.
Are the games difficult to progress without paying?
Many users for both games report that recent updates have made levels significantly harder, often reducing the number of moves (e.g., to 15 moves in Soda Saga, R1, R16, R19, R25; or 19 moves in Friends Saga, ), leading to a feeling that players are forced to purchase extra moves or boosters to advance R14R43.

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. [R1] Candy Crush Soda Saga 2/5 · US Yo: What happen to the moves now y’all giving 15 moves knowing good well it’s not enough
  2. [R4] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US No longer Fun: It has become more frustrating than fun. Does not matter how many ads watched!
  3. [R7] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US New update sucks!: I have been a lover of candy soda crush since 2013 but this new update sucks! You only get only a few moves now per game which is practically impossible to pass the level making it extremely difficult and frustrating with no free daily boosters like before. I guess its time I retire from a long yrs of playing this game and look somewhere else :(
  4. [R8] Candy Crush Soda Saga 5/5 · US Still Fun: One of my favorite games
  5. [R3] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US STOP TAKING MY STREAKS: I play Candy Crush Soda saga multiple times a day. Even on a busy day I make a point of playing the game for a minute or two just keep up my streak. It never fails that just out of the blue it tells me I skipped a day. I make sure the time is evenly spaced out so there’s no gap. I’m tired of you taking away my progress.
  6. [R9] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US 5735 is broken: Please fix level 5735, the last bear goes the wrong direction
  7. [R15] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US Level 5735 doesn’t work: Level 5735 is broken. I would send a support ticket but, if there’s a way to do that, I can’t find it. Overall, I really like this game and enjoy playing it. A better support system would be beneficial. I would rate it 5 stars except for lack of game support.
  8. [R24] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US UPDATED TODAY ADS WONT LET ME GO BACK TO MY GAME: Ads aren’t letting me get back to my game after watching
  9. [R28] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US Screw this update!: When I tried to play levels offline, it now requires Wi-Fi to load the levels. I hate this! It’s unplayable offline! Screw this update! Revert this update IMMEDIATELY!!!!
  10. [R12] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US Second chance: What happened to the second chances? Every time there is an update we lose them lost again
  11. [R14] Candy Crush Soda Saga 4/5 · US HAD TO DELETE…: Notified these people that level 2995 is not playable since they cut moves in half and spinners don’t give out enough bottles and the ONLY WAY TO BEAT IT IS TO PAY…are they really that hard up for money that they feel the need to do this.??? I wonder…but I won’t be forced to do so!!! Otherwise it’s a good game just greedy I guess…
  12. [R16] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US Less moves: I stepped away from playing the game and came back to a bad update. The moves to finish the level have been cut down to 15 and it’s impossible to pass a level without buying more moves. At this point I will use you what I have and delete the game.
  13. [R13] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US Scammers game: This game has lots of scam ads and when you report it or any problems the creators of this game ignore you. Plus many on here are fake accounts
  14. [R78] Candy Crush Friends Saga 3/5 · US Always Missing Events: I’ve played this game for years and its frustrating that events always disappear. The team challenge ends today but when I opened the app it’s gone! This is a chronic issue and you seriously need to address it.
  15. [R81] Candy Crush Friends Saga 3/5 · US Disappearing events: On my phone I see the Rachel event but on my tablet I see nothing but the bubblegum event and I’ve tried 2 year to complete this event and just need to complete level 1 and complete so please help because I have played for years and nothing has gone wrong.
  16. [R25] Candy Crush Soda Saga 2/5 · US Ridiculous: This game is a favorite time passer of mine and I am upset that some levels take days of playing to pass. Level 2000 has 17 moves and it’s absolutely impossible to beat. I want a free game to be that way. I shouldn’t have to pay to continue playing.
  17. [R43] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US Pay to play: I’ve played this game for years and I’m on level 19,000. I am really disappointed that I can’t get past a level without having to pay. I can no longer enjoy this game anymore. You shouldn’t have to pay this much money to play a game. Long time player is done with this game
  18. [R76] Candy Crush Friends Saga 1/5 · US WORST GAME EVER: Candy Crush is a predatory mess disguised as a puzzle game. It’s engineered to frustrate players on purpose, then shove overpriced boosters and lives in your face the second you fail. The difficulty spikes are ridiculous, skill barely matters, and progress is intentionally throttled unless you hand over money. Every tap is followed by an ad, a pop-up, or some fake “limited time” d
  19. [R27] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US Forgot all about my game: I forgot all about my game. I was able to start back where I left off years ago. Now there’s way tooooo many ADS in this game. There weren’t any when it first came out now it’s over run with ADS. Not sure if I’ll keep playing this like I was before the ADS. Bummer
  20. [R33] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · US Failing ads: Fix your ads! They keep crashing/freezing so you can’t get any rewards
  21. [R51] Candy Crush Soda Saga 3/5 · GB Stopping playing: Been playing for ages but recently you have to watch so many ads to progress it’s become boring. It’s all about trying to make you play more and watch more ads. So it’s bye bye from me
  22. [R19] Candy Crush Soda Saga 1/5 · US Moves Per Level: 15 moves for a Level is insane.. Seems like a way to get you to purchase more bars to compete the level. SMH

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