# Nodes: Connect Dots to Relax — user reviews > 58 indexed App Store user reviews of Nodes by NUR NURIYE ERSAHIN, rated 4.60/5 from 377 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nodes-connect-dots-to-relax/id6498960573/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nodes-connect-dots-to-relax/id6498960573.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 302 · 4★ 38 · 3★ 18 · 2★ 12 · 1★ 7 ## What do users think of Nodes? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🎨 Beautiful and artistic puzzle designs - 😌 Relaxing and meditative gameplay experience - ✨ Smooth and polished user interface - 🌙 Dark mode available - 📱 Great Vertex replacement for NYT fans - 💰 Reasonable subscription pricing options - 🎵 Calming music and sound effects - 👂 Minimal ads in free version - 🎯 Intuitive and easy-to-learn mechanics - 🤝 Responsive developers who listen to feedback - 📊 Puzzle complexity indicators in pro section **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches - 📉 Infrequent puzzle updates - 🔒 Paywall restricts access to acquired puzzles - 🎨 Childish art style for some users - 📱 Landscape mode not supported on iPad - 🎬 Long and intrusive ads - 👆 Small and imprecise touch controls - 🔊 App mutes device music when opened - ⚠️ Inconsistent puzzle difficulty rules - 💾 Progress not saved properly - 🖼️ Fuzzy graphics when zoomed in - ⏱️ Only one daily puzzle available **Commonly reported bugs** - Lines connecting to unintended dots - App crashes requiring restart - Progress deletion mid-puzzle - Puzzles not saving completion status - Touch controls directing swipes to wrong anchors - Settings not persisting (red line toggle) - Occasional freezing and unresponsiveness - Graphics rendering issues when zoomed **Most requested features** - Undo or delete line functionality - Ability to replay completed puzzles - More frequent puzzle updates and releases - One-time purchase option instead of subscription - Portrait mode support - Ability to clear all node attachments - Prevent line overlap feature - Adjustable touch sensitivity settings - Longer time to appreciate completed puzzles before animation - Ability to access previous month's daily puzzles - Theme-based puzzle grouping - More airplane-themed puzzles - Improved comment feature with replies and notifications - More sophisticated and complex puzzle designs - Multiple daily puzzles instead of just one ## Newest reviews (18 of 58) ### 3/5 — Don’t seem to want paid subscribers *2026-05-27* I loved NYT Vertex, and this seemed to be a replacement, but when I try to subscribe, I get the message that in-app purchases are not allowed. Really? Additionally, the experience is glitchy - trying to move the screen or zoom in or out ends up placing an unintended line. Undoing those lines isn’t obvious - there’s no obvious undo button, and you need to dive into the documentation to know to double tap on the circle (not the line, which is weird). ### 3/5 — Fun app, not updated often *2026-01-23, version 1.5.3* I really enjoy this app as part of my morning coffee and puzzle time. I do wish it was updated with new puzzles more often, to make it more of a worthwhile monthly purchase. ### 4/5 — Get Your Vertex Fix *2025-08-19* Great substitute for NYT’s old Vertex game! The puzzles have improved a lot over the past year and are really satisfying to complete. I gave 4 instead of 5 stars because updates with extra puzzles have slowed down, and as a paying user I’d love more to play beyond the daily one. ### 4/5 — Great if you miss vertex from nyt! *2025-03-12, version 1.3.3* Very enjoyable; puzzles could be harder/the triangles more tailored to add to the image. Also would prefer one time purchase to subscription ### 4/5 — Keeps Getting Better *2025-03-06* I started using this app when NYT discontinued Vertex. I thought it was an ok replacement at first but there were some features I didn’t love. Several months later after continued updates, I am really happy with Nodes! The puzzles have become much more challenging. The more intricate the better IMO. My only suggestion now is to put out more puzzles. (I know—I’m greedy!) But seriously…give us more bonus puzzles. I’m a bit bummed when an update adds only a few bonus puzzles (current update added four.) ### 5/5 — Awesome *2025-03-05, version 1.3.2* A great game beautiful results! ### 5/5 — 10000 stars! *2025-02-18, version 1.3.1* Thank you guys so much for making this game! I would give it a 10000 stars rating! I like how it has barely any ads and the pro part? Well, that’s a 10000 star rating too! Because I like how you can do a week, month, or even a year! And I also like the calming music. Thank you for all the hard work you’ve done to make the game. Thank you so much for putting gallons of effort into this game. Thank you. - Maci ### 5/5 — Beautiful! *2025-01-25, version 1.2.18* Absolutely love this app. It’s taken the place of my precious daily vertex and I’m so happy to have it. Very satisfying and intuitive, and the final pictures are really pleasing. ### 5/5 — I love this app. *2025-01-17* I found this like most… looking for an alternative for vertex. Watching the app grow, communicating with the developers (who actually listen and make changes when it makes sense!!), and the pictures becoming more beautiful and intricate has been amazing. I would recommend this app to anyone who enjoyed Vertex or people who love art and puzzles. I am spending a bit every day just enjoying what they have created. Thank you for making my favorite app of all time. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for your kind words and support! ### 5/5 — Fun & relaxing *2024-12-13, version 1.2.16* Great alternative to Vertex. The art is great and I love the dailies. Subscription is extremely reasonably priced and optional! ### 5/5 — Great replacement for Vertex *2024-11-26* I was crushed when NYT cancelled Vertex. Looked for a replacement app and did not find this until recently. So happy I did. Isn’t identical to the “original”, but in all important ways, works just fine. I get so frustrated by ads, especially those that lock you in, I quickly opted for the Pro subscription, since this will be one of my main go-to puzzles every day. Thank you. I’m so very happy to have this! Developers: When I get through the pro puzzles, I don’t know yet whether I will be able to go backwards on the daily ones. As in, when December comes, will I be able to go back and pick up any un-done November ones? Can I in November go back for October? Suggestions: A bit more time to appreciate completed puzzle before going to animation. Thank you for adding number of connections to pro section instead of just question marks so user can choose complexity before opening. Great addition. **Developer response:** Hello! Thank you so much for your feedback, and apologies for the delayed response! Yes, you can revisit and work on previous ones as many times as you'd like. We're continuously working on improvements and will do our best to address all your suggestions! ### 5/5 — Could be a 5 IF… *2024-11-22* I love this app, even paid for a pro subscription. BUT, I don’t recommend that as the updates come very seldom and they don’t offer many new puzzles when they do…. I’m rethinking paying for my subscription as you don’t need it for the daily puzzles. ### 5/5 — Finally on par with NY Times *2024-11-12, version 1.2.13* Deeply appreciate the shape countdown features. Please put in more airplane themes. Better yet, for pro versions: group them into user selectable themes! ### 5/5 — Great replacement for Vertex *2024-11-10* I was crushed when NYT cancelled Vertex. Looked for a replacement app and did not find this until recently. So happy I did. Isn’t identical to the “original”, but in all important ways, works just fine. I get so frustrated by ads, especially those that lock you in, I quickly opted for the Pro subscription, since this will be one of my main go-to puzzles every day. Thank you. I’m so very happy to have this! Developers: When I get through the pro puzzles, I don’t know yet whether I will be able to go backwards on the daily ones. As in, when December comes, will I be able to go back and pick up any un-done November ones? Can I in November go back for October? Suggestions: A bit more time to appreciate completed puzzle before going to animation. Also: in pro section, have number of connections show instead of question marks so user can choose complexity before opening. Sometimes I want easy, sometimes I want a long one. ### 5/5 — Fun, meditative, beautiful *2024-10-18* Nothing can replace the original, but having Nodes in my life brings back the same peace and satisfaction that the original game brought me—plus access to an archive. Clearly, this is a loving homage to the original. A few updates I would like: 1. When clearing attachment to nodes, allow the user to clear *all* attachments, not just incorrect attachments. I do not want that assist. 2. Do not allow line overlap. 3. Allow user to manually adjust touch area radius/sensitivity. Thank you for making this! Happy to be a premium member. ### 5/5 — Much improved in last update *2024-10-06* I loved Vertex on the NYT app and of course they got rid of it. Reddit mentioned this app as a good replacement, which it was, but there were definitely issues when I first downloaded it. For lack of a better explanation, it was not as “polished” as NYT’s Vertex. But the recent update they did has majorly improved the user experience. The issues I had such as some of my lines going to circles I didn’t pick is gone. The puzzles are detailed and take a decent amount of time. Well worth the monthly cost. **Developer response:** Hi, Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We're glad to hear that you're enjoying our app and that the recent update has significantly improved your experience. We appreciate your support and feedback, and we’re committed to making the app even better! Happy puzzling! ### 4/5 — Love it!!! *2024-10-05, version 1.2.8* Thank you for this game!!! Please put back the ability to view portrait. ### 4/5 — Solid and relaxing app! *2024-10-03, version 1.2.8* Definitely fills the gap left behind now that vertex has been discontinued on the NYT app. This is a solid replacement and I am grateful to have it! I upgraded to the premium level and I use it to relieve stress. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Not relaxing at all *2025-12-16, version 1.5.3* This game gives me a headache. ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2024-08-30, version 1.1.9* Only get 1game each day, other puzzles you need to purchase. Huge disappointment ### 1/5 — Fine *2024-08-24, version 1.1.8* Like others I downloaded this because of the NYT vertex. It’s similar but not as good. Some of the dots are so close together you legitimately can’t connect them. The floppy disk puzzle is horrendous and it’s extremely frustrating not being able to finish a puzzle on a game that’s supposed to be relaxing. ### 1/5 — 20 mins of free gameplay *2024-08-21, version 1.1.7* I legit played this for 20 minutes and beat all the “free” levels, then had to upgrade to pro. Skip this game, others offer more levels. ### 1/5 — Change it back? *2024-07-27* I downloaded the game a few weeks ago when it was free and all the puzzles were unlocked and I could play this while on the plane. Well not anymore with this new update I can’t play any levels except the daily ones which is infuriating because I fly a lot but now I can’t play any levels, I can’t even play the level I was halfway through. This is disappointing and frustrating. I am not satisfied and I am disappointed. Do better. **Developer response:** Hi there! We’re really sorry for the frustration caused by that update. We’ve listened to feedback and made changes — you can now enjoy many puzzles offline again, along with daily ones, without needing a subscription. We’re constantly improving the game experience, and we’d love for you to give it another try. Thanks for sticking with us! 😊 ### 1/5 — Why? *2024-07-24* I downloaded this because I liked the New York Time's Vertex game, but hated how it was one a day and wasn't about to subscribe to play more puzzles. So I found this game and it's fun, I liked it, but today I see that there is an update and when I reopen the app I need to download pro to solve puzzles. I don't know if this is a glitch because I was playing the game hours ago FOR FREE, but I reopen it and see that I must update. Very upsetting, I see free puzzles that I completed in the past now require a payment and I will be deleting the app. Hopefully will find a better app where the developers aren't money hungry. It was fun while it lasted Vertex, but I guess that every good thing has to come to an end at some point. **Developer response:** Hi there! We understand your frustration — earlier versions had some glitches that caused free puzzles to appear locked, but that’s now fixed. You can still enjoy plenty of free puzzles without a subscription, and we’ve added even more new ones recently! We hope you’ll give it another try and see the improvements 😊 ### 2/5 — Mixed Opinion *2025-09-08* The actual puzzle is great. It’s a perfect replacement for NYT Vertex. 5 stars for the gameplay. I have two issues, one rather large and the reason for only 2 stars (which I will update if resolved). I pay $25/year for this app and it’s been 4 months since they’ve added new puzzles other than the daily puzzle. Seriously, they should be putting out weekly updates with new puzzles. Second, they added a comment feature that’s more frustrating than useful. I sense that we would build a positive community of Nodes players if we were allowed to reply to each other (like NYT Spelling Bee). As it is, you can make one comment per day. Period. No edits. No notifs. Now, I know the reason why. They are trying to prevent trolling and the need to moderate their comments but I doubt this game draws many teenage boys who enjoy rage baiting. Why not at least give it a chance? **Developer response:** Hi, Thanks for your feedback! We’ve been focusing on improving the app’s design and experience — we added puzzle comments, collections, and most recently the American Birds collection, along with many extra puzzles. We’ll continue adding more puzzles and content regularly. Thanks for supporting Nodes, and we hope you enjoy the latest updates! 😊 ### 2/5 — Why did you change this? *2024-10-01* Used to love this app and use it a lot. The ads were annoying but manageable (only one after you finish a puzzle). For some reason though, they updated the app and now it can only be used horizontally. There’s no option to play or use it vertically on a device. This is a huge and unnecessary change. Why not give the option? Disappointed. **Developer response:** Hi, Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! We're sorry to hear that you're disappointed with the recent changes. In the latest version, we’ve made adjustments that allow you to use the app in both landscape and portrait modes. We appreciate your feedback regarding this feature, and we’re continually working to improve our app. If you have any other concerns or suggestions, feel free to reach out. We value your support and hope you continue to enjoy the app! We’re here for your feedback. Best ### 2/5 — childish art *2024-09-14, version 1.2.3* Giant headed, baby-eyed figures might appeal to kids, but this could be so much more sophisticated (and more like the beloved NYT Vertex game) for all of the adults who play. ### 2/5 — Was a great game but worsened with the update *2024-07-27* Loved this game, great graphics, but with new update but with new update you now must pay for most puzzles and now graphics are slightly fuzzy and hard to read when zooming in. This is a great idea and game, please fix it! . **Developer response:** Hello Gorgonzolla132435, Thank you for your feedback. We understand your concerns about the recent update. Our goal was to enhance the user experience by reducing the need for ads and improving the game's quality. To support this, we have moved some features behind a subscription model. However, we still offer free levels and daily puzzles, and we are working on adding more levels that can be unlocked by watching an ad. Also we will definitely look into fixing the zooming issues. We are a small team with limited resources, and your support and feedback are invaluable as we strive to improve. Best regards, ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Fun, Relaxing, Worth It *2026-07-01* I played NYT Vertex every day until they unceremoniously shut it down. I just discovered this app and am beyond thrilled!! The puzzles are really creative and I love the settings options (especially appreciate dark mode and ability to turn off sound). I don’t really get the complaints about ads or “not enough” extra puzzles for premium users. The designers of the puzzles deserve to get paid for their creative work. $25 / year and you are paying like 7 cents for each daily puzzle, not to mention the many, many extra puzzles. That seems worth it to me! One suggestion I have is the option for an “undo” button- sometimes the double tap doesn’t quite work. ### 5/5 — Great game *2026-03-20, version 1.5.4* Relaxing and beautiful results! ### 5/5 — Extra games *2026-02-19, version 1.5.3* I enjoy the game, but I don’t like that I can’t access other nodes that I have acquired without purchasing a subscription. ### 5/5 — Fantastic! Nice distraction from the world *2025-11-20, version 1.5.2* I loved the NYT vertex game. This is like it but with more complexity in the drawings and more triangles to complete. Well worth the teary subscription because it’s a nice distraction from the world. ### 5/5 — Hooray! *2025-10-27, version 1.5.2* So happy to have found this! Daily puzzles for me for now but hope to someday support by subscribing. ### 5/5 — İnanılmaz Zevkli Bir Oyun *2025-10-22, version 1.5.1* Bağımlılık yarattı resmen ### 5/5 — Vertex RIP! *2025-06-03, version 1.4.4* I FINALLY found my Vertex replacement! Instant annual subscription after completing first puzzle… I only subscribed five minutes ago, but I absolutely love this app already! Smooth UI. Beautiful puzzles. AND dark mode?! Love it! ### 5/5 — Perfect game for unwinding *2025-04-17, version 1.4.2* Love this game!! So relaxing and the art is so inspired. Thank you! ### 5/5 — Grateful! *2025-04-06, version 1.4.1* Loved Vertex and had hoped someone would continue this puzzle. And Nodes definitely filled the gap, and gave us more. Thank you Nodes creator(s)! ### 5/5 — Beautiful *2025-03-05* Fantastic app so far! I just wish there was a background color change option, or a dark mode option. Especially for the dailies, sometimes the stark white background on such beautiful designs takes me out a little. I would love something just a little easier on the eyes in the negative space as I play. **Developer response:** Thank you for your comment! Yes, we're planning to add dark mode soon! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*