Cookingdom vs Merge Cooking®

How do Cookingdom and Merge Cooking® compare on difficulty, ad pressure, in-app-purchase pressure and what real reviewers say? A side-by-side look, grounded in App Store data.

	Cookingdom	Merge Cooking®
Genre	Simulation	Simulation
Price	Free	Free
Difficulty	medium	easy
Ad intensity	high	low
In-app-purchase pressure	medium	high
Typical session	variable	short
Rating	4.7 / 5	4.7 / 5
Ratings count	143,930	50,067
Reviews say	What players like Relaxing and chill atmosphere with great art and sound design Satisfying step-by-step cooking mechanics and mini-games Addictive progression with many recipes to unlock Common complaints Ads appear too frequently, even after every recipe Strict time limits feel rushed despite 'chill' premise Multiple bugs causing levels to freeze or become uncompletable	What players like Addictive merging mechanics World tour with diverse cuisines and themes Relaxing, mindless gameplay Common complaints Energy system caps at 100 with 2min regeneration per point, blocking play after 15-20 mins Heavy monetization and pay-to-win progression after early game Generous initial rewards/energy diminish significantly at higher levels

Cookingdom — A cozy step-by-step cooking simulator where you prep, cook, and plate dishes through satisfying mini-games with ASMR vibes. (rated medium difficulty, high ad pressure) Merge Cooking® — Merge ingredients and cook global cuisines while renovating themed restaurants across world destinations. (rated easy difficulty, low ad pressure)

Data: Apple App Store, as of 2026-09-17. Last updated 2026-09-17.