Comparison

Lantern Fish vs holedown

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

Head to head
About

Lantern Fish

Navigate the dark ocean depths as a cute anglerfish with a headlamp. Tap to jump and avoid obstacles to survive as long as possible. Unlock unique skins and compete on the global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • One-button tap to jump gameplay
  • Avoid objects to survive
  • Unlockable skins with different functions
  • Global leaderboard
  • Game Center achievements
Features
Read full description

You are an angler fish at the lowest depths of the sea, but because you look so cute, every one wants you dead. It's dark down there, but lucky you, you have a lantern on your head to avoid anything in your way. -One button, tap to jump. -Avoid objects and survive as long as you can! -Unlock skins that function differently. -Leaderboard and Achievements via Game Center

About

holedown

Dig deep underground by strategically shooting balls to break blocks and reach planet cores. Collect crystals for upgrades and master bouncing patterns in this charming, minimalist game with an original soundtrack. Enjoy hours of gameplay with procedurally generated planets and multiple modes.

Highlights
  • Dig through six planets
  • Collect crystals for upgrades
  • Procedurally generated planets
  • Original space acid soundtrack
  • Endless play mode
  • Intuitive one-handed play
Features
Read full description

Dig deep underground by shooting balls and breaking blocks, traversing your way to the planet cores. With limited shots per round and some blocks fixed firmly to the wall, thoughtfully strategize and aim for maximum impact. Knock down as many blocks as possible while collecting crystals for upgrades and getting deeper beneath the surface. Choose your ideal upgrades such as more starting balls, more shots per round, or storing more crystals, based on your play style and overall strategy. Work your way into the procedurally generated planets with a delightful spectacle of bouncing as you get closer to the planet’s core. Balance your plan between ball bouncing patterns and unpredictable, surprising bounces in this mesmerizing and curious game oozing with charm. Immerse yourself in a world of extravagant minimalistic art while jamming out to an original space acid soundtrack as you feel the satisfaction of digging further underground. Features: • Six planets to dig through • Original soundtrack of seven diverse and space-acid themed tunes • A tight experience with 5+ hours of gameplay’ • Intuitive, one-handed play • Endless play mode • 5 achievements • 11 leaderboards • Split view support • Toggle for screen shake

Screenshots

Lantern Fish4 screens
holedown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lantern Fish at Free against holedown's $3.99. Lantern Fish also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months). holedown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Lantern Fish is free to download; holedown costs $3.99 up front. Lantern Fish sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. holedown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lantern Fish holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: holedown has 398 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Lantern Fish's written reviews are positive against 72% of holedown's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lantern Fish ships an update weekly, holedown every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Lantern Fish versus holedown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLantern Fishholedown
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.9 (16 ratings) — better4.3 (398 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better71.8% of reviews
Number of ratings16398 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB77 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMarco Vasquezwebbfarbror AB

Customer experience

Lantern Fish

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

holedown

All ratings398 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews202 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral14.4%
Negative13.9%

Bugs and requests

Lantern Fish

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

holedown

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Save data randomly resets
  • Gameplay freezes after certain actions
  • Sound effects not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planets/levels
  • Diverse block types and gameplay mechanics
  • Ability to skip crystal counting animation
  • Cloud save sync between devices

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lantern Fish

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

holedown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lantern Fish free?
Lantern Fish is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is holedown free?
holedown costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lantern Fish or holedown?
Lantern Fish is rated higher. Lantern Fish averages 4.9 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while holedown averages 4.3 from 398 ratings.
Do Lantern Fish or holedown have ads?
Lantern Fish shows ads; holedown does not.
Which is updated more often, Lantern Fish or holedown?
Lantern Fish ships an update weekly, and holedown every 9 months. Most recently, Lantern Fish was updated on June 11, 2026 and holedown on September 30, 2026.

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