Comparison

Grayout vs Squell

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

Head to head
About

Grayout

Experience a unique text-based adventure game set in a dystopian medical facility. Navigate challenging conversations as a character with aphasia, struggling to communicate due to a disorder affecting language processing. This narrative-driven game explores themes of communication and internal struggle.

Highlights
  • Aphasiac text game mechanics
  • Narrative-driven gameplay
  • Interactive conversations
  • Word puzzle elements
  • Emotional simulation
  • Dystopian setting
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“One of the most essential iOS games of the year. Proves just how interesting and vital gaming as a medium can be. 9/10” —Pocket Gamer “Grayout is exceptional as a game, as a compelling narrative, as an experiment in communication. It is simple, poignant, and horrifying.” —Gamezebo Grayout is an aphasiac text game set in a medical dystopia. It’s a prequel to the censorship game Blackbar. In Grayout, you play Alaine, a rebelious resident of the totalitarian community called The Neighborhood, who wakes up in a hospital research lab following an accident… or so she is told. The game is a series of conversations with hospital staff, made challenging by Alaine’s post-traumatic aphasia—a disorder that affects one’s ability to process language. Grayout simulates the experience of having a word on the tip of your tongue, the frustration of knowing what you mean but not how to say it, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the runaway thoughts inside your head and struggling to reign them in. This is a game for fans of text adventures, interactive fiction, word puzzles, story-driven games, and emotional simulations. “Marvelous.” —The Guardian, The best iPhone and iPad apps of 2015 “Liked Blackbar? This is harder but also cleverer. Lots more feels too. Prepare your brain.” —Sam Barlow of 'Her Story' We hope your stay in the Neighborhood Hospital is pleasant and brief. Get well.

About

Squell

A casual spelling game combining vocabulary challenges with spatial reasoning. Rearrange letter grids to form words, with move count impacting score. Enjoy offline play and save progress to return anytime.

Highlights
  • Spatial reasoning word puzzles
  • Move-based scoring system
  • Save progress and resume anytime
  • Offline gameplay
  • Addictive and engaging gameplay
  • Simple, clean design
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Squell is a casual spelling game that challenges your vocabulary and your spatial reasoning. Imagine Boggle got a little too friendly with a Rubik's cube and you've got Squell. Rearrange a grid of letters to spell words. How many moves you make matters, but get good and keep the game going to rack up tons of points. Squell games are controlled by how many moves you make, so you play it at your own pace. It's a great game to put down and come back to later, since all progress is saved on your device as you play and you can always review the words you've already spelled. It works offline, so it's great on a plane, a train, or in that waiting room with no cell service. Squell is simple to play, but with plenty of strategies to uncover and master, you'll come back to it again and again!

Screenshots

Grayout4 screens
Squell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Squell at 4.8 against Grayout's 3.7. Squell also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). Grayout's advantage is chart position (#32 vs #135). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Grayout costs $2.99 and Squell $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Squell holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 61 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Grayout's written reviews are positive against 100% of Squell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, Squell every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Grayout versus Squell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrayoutSquell
Price$2.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.7 (61 ratings)4.8 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings61 — better26
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#32 — better#135
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.4 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB29 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMrgan LLCCompassionate Robot Studios LLC

Customer experience

Grayout

All ratings61 ratings
Positive62.3%
Neutral11.5%
Negative26.2%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral12.9%
Negative24.2%

Squell

All ratings26 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

User reviews

Grayout

From 61 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Unique and innovative concept
  • 📖 Engaging and well-written story
  • 🎨 Creative wordplay and imagery
  • ✨ Thoughtful narrative and storytelling
  • 🧠 Challenging and thought-provoking puzzles

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Very short gameplay duration
  • 💰 High price for short experience
  • 🤷 Arbitrary and illogical puzzle solutions
  • 🧩 Frustrating guessing game mechanics
  • 🚫 Restrictive input and lack of flexibility

Squell

From 26 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive gameplay
  • 👶 Engaging for all ages
  • 🧠 Challenges mental abilities
  • 👌 Simple and clean design
  • 🎯 Provides feedback and rewards

Room to improve

  • ⏰ Lack of leaderboard feature

Bugs and requests

Grayout

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game-breaking bug preventing progression
  • Text formatting errors on some screens
  • Typo in dialogue
  • Visual glitch after switching apps

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add a hint system
  • Improve sentence validation logic
  • Allow for more flexible sentence input
  • Add option to mute music
  • Improve UI for larger screens
Show 1 more
  • Consider AI for language parsing

Squell

No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.

In-app purchases

None

Grayout

No in-app purchases

None

Squell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Grayout free?
Grayout costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Squell free?
Squell costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Grayout or Squell?
Squell is rated higher. Grayout averages 3.7 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while Squell averages 4.8 from 26 ratings.
Do Grayout or Squell have ads?
Neither Grayout nor Squell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grayout or Squell?
Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, and Squell every 8 days. Most recently, Grayout was updated on September 26, 2026 and Squell on September 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, Grayout or Squell?
Grayout currently peaks at #32 in the App Store charts, and Squell at #135. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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