# Brain Dots vs Shatterbrain

Brain Dots and Shatterbrain both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Shatterbrain's written reviews are positive against 50% of Brain Dots's. Brain Dots's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (8.2K vs 436). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brain Dots sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Shatterbrain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Shatterbrain holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brain Dots has 8.2K ratings behind it against 436, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Brain Dots's written reviews are positive against 86% of Shatterbrain's.

Brain Dots ships an update every 11 days, Shatterbrain every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brain Dots | Shatterbrain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-dots/id1004227662/reviews) | **[4.6 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shatterbrain/id1317443919/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8.2K** | 436 |
| Positive reviews | 49.9% of reviews | **86.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Translimit, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/845044431) | [Orbital Nine Games Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/887216732) |

## What reviewers say

### Brain Dots

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-dots/id1004227662)

A challenging puzzle game where you draw lines and shapes to make two balls collide. Collect different drawing tools and create your own levels to test the skills of players worldwide. It's a test of logic and flexible thinking.

**Highlights:** Bump two balls to clear stages, Draw lines and shapes freely, Collect over 25 varieties of pens, Create and share custom stages, Review and share victory moments, Tests logical thinking and flexibility

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mechanical pencil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pen | $0.99 | one-time |
| Colored pencil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crayon | $1.99 | one-time |
| Brush | $1.99 | one-time |
| Watercolor painting brush | $1.99 | one-time |
| Decorated pen | $2.99 | one-time |
| Rainbow pencil | $2.99 | one-time |
| Fountain pen | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove Cut-In Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Challenging and engaging puzzles
- 🎨 Variety of pen styles and customization options
- ⚙️ Interesting physics-based gameplay
- 👍 Fun for all ages

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💢 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📱 Compatibility issues with older devices
- 👀 Difficulty seeing around finger when drawing

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to create own levels
- Hint feature not working as expected
- Inability to play on iOS 17 devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to save and transfer progress across devices
- Option to disable hint prompts
- More advanced level creation tools
- Improved Apple Pencil support


### Shatterbrain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shatterbrain/id1317443919)

Engage in challenging physics puzzles by drawing shapes to find solutions. Discover multiple ways to solve each level and compete on leaderboards for the best performance. This game is designed for those who enjoy brain teasers and applying physics principles.

**Highlights:** Dozens of physics puzzles, Multiple solutions per puzzle, Leaderboard competition, Draw shapes to solve, Challenging gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Relaxing challenge
- 🚀 Elegant and challenging physics-based puzzles
- 👍 Enjoyable and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Stimulates the mind
- 👍 Reasonable ad implementation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Lack of instructions or guidance
- 🔍 Difficulty progressing without 3-starring levels
- 🔍 Some levels too easy or too difficult

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing or crashing on certain levels
- Issues with drawing/controls not registering properly

**Requested features**

- More levels and content updates
- Ability to skip levels without 3 stars
- Customizable hint/solution system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brain Dots free?

Brain Dots is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shatterbrain free?

Shatterbrain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Brain Dots or Shatterbrain?

Shatterbrain is rated higher. Brain Dots averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while Shatterbrain averages 4.6 from 436 ratings.

### Do Brain Dots or Shatterbrain have ads?

Both Brain Dots and Shatterbrain show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brain Dots or Shatterbrain?

Brain Dots ships an update every 11 days, and Shatterbrain every 11 months. Most recently, Brain Dots was updated on September 28, 2026 and Shatterbrain on September 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*