# Brain Dots vs Nerve

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nerve at none against Brain Dots's 10. Nerve also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Brain Dots's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brain Dots sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Nerve asks for nothing beyond the download.

Brain Dots ships an update every 3 weeks, Nerve every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brain Dots | Nerve |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-dots/id1004227662/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **8.2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 49.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Translimit, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/845044431) | [Dixit Rathod](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886947331) |

## 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


### Nerve

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nerve-circle-puzzle-arcade/id6804382285)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brain Dots free?

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

### Is Nerve free?

Nerve is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Brain Dots or Nerve have ads?

Both Brain Dots and Nerve show ads.

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

Brain Dots ships an update every 3 weeks, and Nerve every 2 days. Most recently, Brain Dots was updated on November 6, 2026 and Nerve on October 31, 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.*