Hay Day vs Merge Dragons!

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

 Hay Day iconHay DayMerge Dragons! iconMerge Dragons!
GenreFamilyFamily
PriceFreeFree
Difficultyeasymedium
Ad intensitylowlow
In-app-purchase pressuremediumlow
Typical sessionvariablevariable
Rating4.7 / 54.7 / 5
Ratings count642,397420,381
Reviews say
What players like
  • Long-term engagement (players report 9-10+ years)
  • Creative freedom and farm customization
  • Frequent meaningful updates
Common complaints
  • App crashes and won't load (especially iPad)
  • Account theft/security issues not resolved by support
  • Accidental diamond purchases too easy
What players like
  • Free-to-play with no forced ads
  • Cozy, relaxing gameplay suitable for families
  • Long-term progression without mandatory spending
Common complaints
  • Dragons harvest items without player permission, causing frustration
  • Critical bug: reinstalling after app crash deletes all progress permanently
  • Gems are nearly impossible to obtain without paying real money

Hay Day — Build and decorate your dream farm, trade with neighbors, and grow your tycoon empire through crops, animals, and crafting. (rated easy difficulty, low ad pressure) Merge Dragons! — Merge magical objects and evolve dragons to restore a cursed fantasy world at your own relaxing pace. (rated medium difficulty, low ad pressure)

Still deciding? Ask the finder — grounded in real reviews:

Data: Apple App Store, as of 2026-07-10. Last updated 2026-07-10.