Comparison

Ubongo vs Ark Nova

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

Head to head
About

Ubongo

Engage your brain with this fast-paced puzzle game. Solve interlocking shape puzzles quickly to earn jewels and improve visual thinking. Compete against others online or enjoy various single-player modes with increasing difficulty.

Highlights
  • Fast-paced puzzle solving
  • Jewel rewards for speed
  • Visual thinking improvement
  • Single-player modes (Levels, Free, Time-Attack)
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
  • Original and new shapes
Features
Read full description

Fast-paced, addictive, and easy to learn – this puzzle game will challenge your brain! Sprint to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster you solve the puzzle, the more jewels you will get. Improve your visual thinking in 3 different single-player modes. Race against other players online and play against Ubongo fans worldwide! - Easy to learn - The original puzzle game by Thames & Kosmos - Contains the original board game shapes as well as additional new shapes - More than 3 million board games sold - Levels mode, with increasing difficulty and tips for beginners - Free mode, with more than 6,000 random levels - Time-Attack mode, for long-term gaming fun - Cross-platform multiplayer - Ages 8 and up - Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to ios@usm.de We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: www.usmgames.com or visit us on www.facebook.com/UnitedSoftMedia and twitter.com/USM_News *****

About

Ark Nova

Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.

Highlights
  • Plan and design a modern zoo
  • Build enclosures and accommodate animals
  • Support global conservation projects
  • Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
  • Upgrade action cards for gameplay
  • Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
Features
Read full description

Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.

Screenshots

Ubongo4 screens
Ark Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ubongo at $3.99 against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ubongo also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Ark Nova's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Ubongo costs $3.99 and Ark Nova $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ark Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.3K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Ubongo's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ark Nova's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ubongo ships an update every 7 months, Ark Nova every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ubongo versus Ark Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUbongoArk Nova
Price$3.99 — better$10.99
Rating4.6 (126 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.7% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1261.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#29 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB682 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnited Soft Media Verlag GmbHDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Ubongo

All ratings126 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive68.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative24.1%

Ark Nova

All ratings1,262 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

Ubongo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ark Nova

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • iPad Flash exit issue
  • Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
  • Full screen mode
  • Option to reverse zoom direction
  • Improved card readability/zoom

In-app purchases

None

Ubongo

No in-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ubongo free?
Ubongo costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ubongo or Ark Nova?
Ark Nova is rated higher. Ubongo averages 4.6 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Ark Nova averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Ubongo or Ark Nova have ads?
Neither Ubongo nor Ark Nova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ubongo or Ark Nova?
Ubongo ships an update every 7 months, and Ark Nova every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ubongo was updated on October 26, 2026 and Ark Nova on October 25, 2026.

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