Nonograms Katana vs GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nonograms Katana
This logic puzzle game challenges you to fill in cells based on numerical clues to reveal hidden pictures. It offers a vast collection of puzzles, creation tools, and engaging expansions for a mentally stimulating experience.
- 1001 nonograms included
- Create and share your own puzzles
- Black-and-white and colored puzzles
- Puzzles sorted by size
- Optional RPG expansion
- Cloud save and achievements
Read full descriptionHide full description
Nonograms Katana: Sharpen your mind! Nonograms, also known as Hanjie, Griddlers, Picross, Japanese Crosswords, Japanese Puzzles, Pic-a-Pix, "Paint by numbers" and other names, are picture logic puzzles in which cells in a grid must be colored or left blank according to numbers at the side of the grid to reveal a hidden picture. The numbers are a form of discrete tomography that measures how many unbroken lines of filled-in squares there are in any given row or column. For example, a clue of "4 8 3" would mean there are sets of four, eight, and three filled squares, in that order, with at least one blank square between successive groups. To solve a puzzle, one needs to determine which cells will be boxes and which will be empty. Determining which cells are to be left empty (called spaces) is as important as determining which to fill (called boxes). Later in the solving process, the spaces help determine where a clue (continuing block of boxes and a number in the legend) may spread. Solvers usually use a dot or a cross to mark cells they are certain are spaces. It is also important never to guess. Only cells that can be determined by logic should be filled. If guessing, a single error can spread over the entire field and completely ruin the solution. Features: - 1001 nonograms - All puzzles are free - All puzzles tested by computer program and have unique solution - Black-and-white and colored - Nonograms sorted by groups from 5x5 to 50x50 - Download puzzles sent by other users - Create and share your own puzzles - 15 free hints per puzzle - Use crosses, dots and other symbols to mark cells - Auto cross out numbers - Auto fill trivial and completed lines - Auto save; if you stuck you can try another puzzle and come back later - Zoom and smooth scrolling - Lock and zoom number bars - Lock current puzzle state, check assumptions - Customize background - Optional cursor for accurate picking - Undo and redo - Share result pictures - Save game progress to the cloud - Achievements and leaderboards - Screen rotation - Suitable for phones and tablets VIP Features: - No Ads - View Answer - 5 extra hints per puzzle The Guild Expansion: Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! By solving puzzles, you will get loot and experience. You will have weapons that allow you to deal with puzzles much faster. You will be able to complete quests and receive a reward. You will have to rebuild the settlement and collect the lost mosaic piece by piece. The Dungeon Expansion: Game in a game in a game. Isometric turn-based RPG. What adventurer doesn't dream of exploring a dungeon? site: https://nonograms-katana.com facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nonograms.Katana
GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)
Solve logic puzzles by using number clues to reveal hidden pixel art. Offers thousands of free puzzles, multiple types, smart tools, and user-created content. Save progress and create your own unique challenges.
- Thousands of free nonogram puzzles
- New puzzles added regularly
- Multiple puzzle types (color, triangle, multi)
- Smart solving tools (zoom, multi-select, undo)
- Create and share custom puzzles
- Cloud backup and restore
Read full descriptionHide full description
GridSwan is a powerful nonogram puzzle app for solving logic puzzles, also known as griddlers, hanjie, picross, Japanese crosswords, kare karalamaca, cryptopics, or pic-a-pix. Use number clues to reveal hidden pixel-art images on the grid. Enjoy thousands of free nonogram puzzles, multiple puzzle types, smart solving tools, and regularly added new puzzles. FEATURES: • Thousands of free nonogram puzzles • New puzzles added regularly • Standard black-and-white, colored, triangle, and multi puzzles • Smooth controls for large and complex puzzles: Zoom, scroll, multi-cell selection, undo, and redo • Checkpoints to try different solving paths and backtrack when needed • Cloud backup and restore across devices • Create your own puzzles by drawing, importing images, or generating them from text with AI • Share your puzzles with friends or publish them for other players NOTES: • Please use the Feedback menu to report problems so we can receive your device details and help you better. • Number clues are only there to help you. They are not part of the actual puzzle solution. • To publish your own puzzles, share them and choose Publish. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.puzzlehouseapps.com/privacy_policies/gridswan
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nonograms Katana at 83% against GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)'s 35%. Nonograms Katana also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)'s advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Nonograms Katana sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles) sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nonograms Katana holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nonograms Katana has 6.8K ratings behind it against 134, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Nonograms Katana's written reviews are positive against 35% of GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)'s.
Nonograms Katana ships an update every 4 months, GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles) every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nonograms Katana | GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.8K ratings) — better | 4.4 (134 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews — better | 34.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.8K — better | 134 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Ucdevs Interaction DOO | ALI YILDIZ-PUZZLEHOUSEAPPS |
Customer experience
Nonograms Katana
GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)
Bugs and requests
Nonograms Katana
Reported bugs
5 issues- Puzzle progress not saving
- Puzzle images not loading
- Freezing/crashing on larger puzzles
- Ads not playing properly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
7 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to rearrange/move puzzle pieces
- Difficulty ratings for puzzles
- Automatic line/row completion
- Ability to follow/subscribe to users
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Notification system for new puzzles
- Diagonal line drawing tool
GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nonograms Katana
- 80 Hints$0.99
- Rubies (5)$0.99
- Potion of healing lvl. 2 (15)$0.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Potion "Ambrosia" (7)$0.99
- 200 Hints$1.99
- Rubies (15)$1.99
- Rubies (50)$5.99
- VIP version$5.99
GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)
- 1 Month$7.991 Month
- 6 Months$33.996 Months
- 1 Year$59.991 Year
- 5 Images$1.29
- Enable Checkpoint$1.49
- 10 Tips$1.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 25 Images$3.99
- 50 Tips$7.99
- 100 images$9.99
- 100 Tips$11.99
Questions
Is Nonograms Katana free?
Is GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles) free?
Which has better reviews, Nonograms Katana or GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)?
Do Nonograms Katana or GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles) have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nonograms Katana or GridSwan (Nonogram Puzzles)?
Other comparisons















