Comparison

Brain Dots vs Linko

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Brain Dots

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
Read full description

Over 50 million downloads! The only thing you need to do is to “bump two balls.” Will you be able to clear these simple-looking but actually difficult stages? ▼ The rules are simple! ◆ Let's bump the two balls All you need to do to clear a stage is to “make the blue and red balls bump”. Draw lines and shapes freely to move and roll the balls. Flexible thinking is going to become the key to victory. ◆ Let's collect pens Starting off with a simple pencil, moving onto color pencils, crayons and so on. We have prepared more than 25 varieties of pens of different colors and sizes. Collect various pens and walk through the stages. ◆ Share the moment of victory You can review the moment you cleared a stage on video or picture. Share it on SNS to show off your superior skills to your friends. Not to mention that watching your friends’ gameplay might also become a hint!? ◆ Create Stages Create your own stages and see if users all over the world can solve them. Over 3 million stages already created! ◆ Your brain abilities will be tested This game, continuing after Brain Wars, also tests your logical thinking and the flexibility of your mind. As this game includes the elements of riddle and “Escape the Room” type of games, we would recommend Brain Dots to people who enjoy brain-type puzzles, cards and strategy games. It might also have an impact on your children’s intellectual growth and preventing brain deterioration? ▼ Languages 15 languages! Brain Dots is played all over the world! Japanese / English / Korean / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Spanish / French / Portuguese(Brazil) / Swedish / Finnish / Russian / Vietnamese / Thai / Indonesian / Hindi ▼ Latest information Twitter:@braindots_app Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/braindotsapp

About

Linko

A simple and calming puzzle game designed for relaxation. Players rotate lines on a board to connect them all, offering an easy-to-learn maze-like experience for all ages. The game's revenue supports a stray cat shelter.

Highlights
  • Simple one-finger controls
  • Calming maze-like gameplay
  • Easy to learn for all ages
  • Rotate lines to connect
  • Relaxing mind exercise
Features
Read full description

Linko is a very simple and calming puzzle game. All you need to prepare to play Linko is your phone and one finger. Linko is not difficult or complicated, so anyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy it. Calm your mind and proceed as if solving a simple maze. [How to play] Rotate the lines on the given board to connect them all. Try it right now! + PS: Most of the revenue generated through the game is used for the shelter for stray cats that we manage.

Screenshots

Brain Dots4 screens
Linko4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Brain Dots at 4.4 against Linko's 3.8. Brain Dots also leads on ratings volume (8.2K vs 26). Linko's advantage is review sentiment (61% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Brain Dots sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Linko sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brain Dots holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brain Dots has 8.2K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Brain Dots's written reviews are positive against 61% of Linko's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brain Dots ships an update every 3 weeks, Linko every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 14, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Brain Dots versus Linko: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrain DotsLinko
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8.2K ratings) — better3.8 (26 ratings)
Positive reviews49.9% of reviews60.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.2K — better26
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB158 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTranslimit, Inc.1PixelStudio Co.

Customer experience

Brain Dots

All ratings8,180 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral5.7%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews1,909 reviews
Positive49.9%
Neutral10.8%
Negative39.3%

Linko

All ratings26 ratings
Positive65.4%
Neutral7.7%
Negative26.9%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral9.9%
Negative29.1%

Bugs and requests

Brain Dots

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Linko

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Brain Dots

One-time10
  • Mechanical pencil$0.99
  • Pen$0.99
  • Colored pencil$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Crayon$1.99
  • Brush$1.99
  • Watercolor painting brush$1.99
  • Decorated pen$2.99
  • Rainbow pencil$2.99
  • Fountain pen$3.99
  • Remove Cut-In Ads$3.99
3 purchases

Linko

One-time3
  • Donate low price.$4.99
  • Donate medium price.$19.99
  • Donate high price.$44.99

Questions

Is Brain Dots free?
Brain Dots is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Linko free?
Linko is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brain Dots or Linko?
Brain Dots is rated higher. Brain Dots averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while Linko averages 3.8 from 26 ratings.
Do Brain Dots or Linko have ads?
Both Brain Dots and Linko show ads.
Which is updated more often, Brain Dots or Linko?
Brain Dots ships an update every 3 weeks, and Linko every 4 weeks. Most recently, Brain Dots was updated on November 14, 2026 and Linko on November 14, 2026.

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