# What's inside the box? vs Shells

The clearest difference is rating: Shells at 5.0 against What's inside the box?'s 4.3. Shells also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). What's inside the box?'s advantage is ratings volume (111 vs 22). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. What's inside the box? sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Shells holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: What's inside the box? has 111 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of What's inside the box?'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Shells's.

What's inside the box? ships an update every 3 months, Shells weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | What's inside the box? | Shells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (111 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whats-inside-the-box/id1106494704/reviews) | **[5.0 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shells-nested-block-puzzle/id6661020395/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **111** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 77.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 23 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bart BONTE](https://appshunter.io/developer/568141787) | [arlybird games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764665157) |

## What reviewers say

### What's inside the box?

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whats-inside-the-box/id1106494704)

Engage in a series of challenging puzzles to uncover the contents of various boxes. Utilize hints to overcome difficult levels and unlock additional features for an enhanced experience.

**Highlights:** Solve 100+ puzzles, Discover box contents, Use hint system, Premium unlock available, Skip level option

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| premium unlock | $2.49 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧩 Excellent puzzle design with logical solutions
- 💡 Innovative and creative puzzle mechanics
- 🎯 Well-balanced difficulty progression
- 🏆 100 unique levels with variety
- 👨‍💻 High-quality work from respected developer Bart Bonte

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Progress resets when switching apps or reopening
- 😤 Certain levels are frustratingly difficult or poorly designed
- 🔄 Some levels are repetitive or duplicated
- ❓ Vague hints that don't adequately help stuck players
- ⏸️ No pause functionality mid-level

**Reported bugs**

- Progress lost when switching apps or reopening application
- Level 43 button unresponsive after pressing question mark
- Level 7 layer movement not functioning correctly
- Level 45 resets progress to level 21
- Screen rendering issues making portions unviewable

**Requested features**

- Skip button for difficult levels
- Pause functionality during gameplay
- Improved hint system with clearer guidance
- Additional levels beyond 100
- Better progress save system


### Shells

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shells-nested-block-puzzle/id6661020395)

A geometry puzzle game where you slide blocks into larger shells to rearrange the board and solve challenges. It offers over 360 levels across 8 worlds with a focus on spatial reasoning and problem-solving. Enjoy a relaxing experience with a soothing soundtrack.

**Highlights:** Nested block sliding mechanics, Over 360 original levels, 8 distinct game worlds, Optional hint system, Soothing piano soundtrack, Compact 4x4 grid gameplay

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Large Bundle | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Bundle | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is What's inside the box? free?

What's inside the box? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shells free?

Shells is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, What's inside the box? or Shells?

Shells is rated higher. What's inside the box? averages 4.3 out of 5 from 111 ratings, while Shells averages 5.0 from 22 ratings.

### Do What's inside the box? or Shells have ads?

Both What's inside the box? and Shells show ads.

### Which is updated more often, What's inside the box? or Shells?

What's inside the box? ships an update every 3 months, and Shells weekly. Most recently, What's inside the box? was updated on August 30, 2026 and Shells on September 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*