# Glow Monsters vs Pac.io

The clearest difference is ads: Glow Monsters at none against Pac.io's shown. Glow Monsters also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 54%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 13.0). Pac.io's advantage is ratings volume (342 vs 16). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Glow Monsters against 4.1 for Pac.io. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pac.io has 342 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Glow Monsters's written reviews are positive against 54% of Pac.io's.

Glow Monsters ships an update every 3 weeks, Pac.io fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Glow Monsters | Pac.io |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glow-monsters/id1018915320/reviews) | **[4.1 (342 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **342** |
| Positive reviews | **64.9% of reviews** | 53.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 139 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Crescent Moon Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/370521012) | [Nomadic Bear Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1188304416) |

## What reviewers say

### Glow Monsters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glow-monsters/id1018915320)

Navigate mazes, eat glowing collectibles, and evade monsters with unique skills. Rotate bridges to change paths and survive over 100 levels across multiple planets in this arcade-style puzzle game.

**Highlights:** Pac-Man style maze gameplay, Rotating bridge path control, Monster evasion with special skills, Action, puzzle, and arcade mix, Over 100 levels on 6 planets, Challenge modes

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent ADs Removal | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative gameplay
- 👍 Addictive and fun
- 🧠 Challenging puzzles
- ✨ Good graphics
- 🎮 Simple controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Too many ads
- ⏳ Long ad interruptions
- 🚫 Ads ruin gameplay
- 😤 Ads are annoying
- 😩 Ads are intrusive

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes on start
- Cannot access last planet
- Swastika level is offensive

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads
- In-app purchases for upgrades
- Skippable ads
- Less frequent ads
- Ad removal for a minimal price


### Pac.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778)

Engage in an addictive grid-battle by swiping to outsmart opponents and dominate the arena. Utilize a variety of power-ups and unlock unique skins to enhance your gameplay and rise through the ranks. Enjoy endless fun offline or online with intuitive controls.

**Highlights:** Swipe controls for movement, Strategic power-ups, Unlockable skins, Offline and online play, Intuitive gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coin Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Magnet | $4.99 | one-time |
| Thunder | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sword | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Coin Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Coin Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Coin Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Massive Coin Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😍 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 🎮 Fun Pac-Man inspired mechanics
- 👥 Real multiplayer players (not just bots)
- ⚡ Fast-paced and entertaining
- 🏆 Leaderboard and competitive features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads throughout gameplay
- ⚠️ Ads interrupt and crash the game
- 😤 Unfair difficulty and instant death
- 🎮 Sliding controls instead of D-pad/joystick
- 🤖 Questionable AI behavior and cheating

**Reported bugs**

- Ads crash game at end of video
- Game freezes after ad completion
- Pink screen ad that cannot be closed
- Instant death upon spawning
- Players getting stuck behind walls

**Requested features**

- Arrow buttons or D-pad controls instead of sliding
- Ad-free premium version for purchase
- Ability to disable ads with WiFi off
- Friend list and private room creation
- Real player names instead of randomized ones


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Glow Monsters free?

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

### Is Pac.io free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Glow Monsters or Pac.io?

Pac.io is rated higher. Glow Monsters averages 4.1 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Pac.io averages 4.1 from 342 ratings.

### Do Glow Monsters or Pac.io have ads?

Pac.io shows ads; Glow Monsters does not.

### Which is updated more often, Glow Monsters or Pac.io?

Glow Monsters ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pac.io fortnightly. Most recently, Glow Monsters was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pac.io on October 24, 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.*