Comparison

KOSMOS Helper App vs Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

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

Head to head
About

KOSMOS Helper App

Learn board games quickly and easily with narrated animations and 3D tutorials. Avoid reading rulebooks and get straight to playing. Offers additional game-specific tools like timers and soundtracks.

Highlights
  • Animated tutorials with audio narration
  • 3D game setup explanations
  • Game-specific timers
  • Atmospheric soundtracks
  • Narrated adventure books
  • Animated solution assistant
Features
Read full description

Do you have Ubongo, Tumult Royale, Imhotep, the nominee for “Spiel des Jahres” or the “Kennerspiel des Jahres” EXIT? You want to learn how to play it but don’t have the time or desire to deal with reading through all the instructions? Well, how about simply having all the rules explained to you via narrated animations? Learn how to set up the game and get started without reading the rules booklet. Learn other KOSMOS games without reading the manuals. Note: This app offers additional features for the well-known games from KOSMOS. Features: *** Animated Tutorial *** With audio narrations and 3D animations, this app explains all the rules for the games in an easy, linear manner that requires little reading - including the variations for all numbers of players - so that you can start playing almost immediately! *** Additional Functions *** For the EXIT games, you will find a timer including an atmospheric soundtrack. For the Adventure Games, you will find a narrated adventure book. For The Crew Mission Deep Sea you will find an atmospheric soundtrack including a special timer. In Ubongo, an animated assistant helps you to find the solution to any of the tasks given in the basic game. Tumult Royale includes a timer that allows you to replace the hourglass included in the game. You can also vary the time allotted for the tax collection phase. ***** Questions, suggestions and feature requests? We look forward to your suggestions! Mail to: apps@kosmos.de *****

About

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

Automate scoring for the board game Forest Shuffle™ by scanning your cards. This app handles multiple scans, allows for editing, and supports cross-device QR code sharing. It also includes a card glossary and saves past game sessions.

Highlights
  • Scan trees through the camera
  • Automatic score counting
  • Merge scans from multiple devices
  • Archive previous sessions
  • Card glossary access
  • Cross-device QR code sharing
Features
Read full description

This app allows you to speed up the scoring process of the printed version of the game Forest Shuffle™. By scanning the cards on your table after a just finished game you can automate the scoring of your laid out cards. The App can handle up to 5 scan results per scoring process. The scanning process is comfortable and you can also fastly edit your scan results. It is possible to exchange the scan results by QR Code between your devises. Sessions can be stored and edited. There is also a complete glossary of cards available. As this app is free you definitely need to give it a try... you will be surprised how easy the scoring can get. Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter Features: - Scan trees through the camera - Count your score automatically - Merge scans from multiple devices - Share your results to social media - Archive your previous sessions - Quick access to the appendix - English, German, French and Italian interface - Scan is language independent - Supports exclusively the version Forest Shuffle™ - Supports all Forest Shuffle™ expansions/promos

Screenshots

KOSMOS Helper App4 screens
Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter at 4.9 against KOSMOS Helper App's 4.3. Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). KOSMOS Helper App's advantage is ratings volume (644 vs 61). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KOSMOS Helper App has 644 ratings behind it against 61, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of KOSMOS Helper App's written reviews are positive against 74% of Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KOSMOS Helper App ships an update every 6 weeks, Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter every 10 days. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
KOSMOS Helper App versus Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKOSMOS Helper AppForest Shuffle™ Smart Counter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (644 ratings)4.9 (61 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews74.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings644 — better61
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB445 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFranckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co. KGDIGIDICED

Customer experience

KOSMOS Helper App

All ratings644 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral2.0%
Negative13.4%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative25.1%

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

All ratings61 ratings
Positive98.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive74.2%
Neutral16.1%
Negative9.7%

User reviews

KOSMOS Helper App

From 644 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great companion app
  • 👍 Helpful tutorials and instructions
  • 🎶 Atmospheric soundtrack and timer
  • 💡 Bilingual support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs with content download and app functionality
  • 🔍 Missing features like game progress tracking
  • ⏱️ Slow download speeds
  • 🔇 Audio issues

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

From 61 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Makes scoring a breeze
  • 👍 Very user-friendly
  • 💡 Innovative idea for a game
  • ⏱️ Saves significant time
  • 💯 Accurate scoring

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent card recognition
  • 🐛 Difficulty scanning complex trees
  • 🐛 Some cards not recognized
  • 🐛 Issues with specific animals/cards
  • 🐛 UI/UX could be more intuitive

Bugs and requests

KOSMOS Helper App

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to download or access game content
  • Blank screens and non-functioning features
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Save game progress and scores
  • More interactive features
  • Ability to read game booklet in-app

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Cannot scan trees with more than 4 cards
  • QR code player scanning not working
  • Does not recognize cards 95% of the time
  • Does not consider multiple cards on the same side of a tree
  • Steinmarder (stone marten) scoring incorrect
Show 12 more
  • Siebenschläfer (dormouse) text/scoring incorrect
  • Silver Fir tagged Peacock butterfly not selectable
  • Deer scoring messed up
  • Holzbiene (wood bee) not recognized/implemented
  • Zitronenfalter (common brimstone butterfly) missing
  • Kröten (toads) and Rehe (deer) cannot be entered for multiple spots
  • App not in French as advertised
  • Scan function not working for some users
  • App takes longer than manual scoring for some
  • Does not correctly capture all card constellations
  • Ignores lower cards
  • Does not count cards from the cave

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add support for Dartmoor expansion
  • Add support for Mischwald Dartmoor
  • Add support for Exploration expansion
  • Add support for new caves
  • Automatic photo capture
Show 4 more
  • Add automa mode for solo play
  • Add summary of points breakdown
  • Add French language support
  • Add support for more languages

In-app purchases

None

KOSMOS Helper App

No in-app purchases

None

Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KOSMOS Helper App free?
KOSMOS Helper App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter free?
Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KOSMOS Helper App or Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter?
Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter is rated higher. KOSMOS Helper App averages 4.3 out of 5 from 644 ratings, while Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter averages 4.9 from 61 ratings.
Do KOSMOS Helper App or Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter have ads?
Neither KOSMOS Helper App nor Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KOSMOS Helper App or Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter?
KOSMOS Helper App ships an update every 6 weeks, and Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter every 10 days. Most recently, KOSMOS Helper App was updated on September 23, 2026 and Forest Shuffle™ Smart Counter on September 23, 2026.

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