Comparison

Cosmic Express vs Zyl

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

Head to head
About

Cosmic Express

Plan intricate train routes for a quirky space colony in this challenging puzzle game. Navigate hundreds of levels filled with cute aliens and increasingly difficult scenarios. Enjoy hours of engaging, frustrating fun without any in-app purchases or ads.

Highlights
  • Train route planning puzzles
  • Hundreds of levels
  • Cute alien characters
  • Challenging gameplay
  • No in-app purchases
  • No ads
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Cosmic Express is a puzzle game about planning the train route for the world's most awkward space colony, from the minds behind A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build and the art of Tyu from Klondike. It's cute, harder than it looks, and guaranteed to give you hours of frustrating fun across hundreds of levels. No in-app-purchases or ads. iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2 or later recommended. Awards: Finalist - IMGA Global, 2017 Finalist - IndiePlus, 2017 Official Selection - Indie Megabooth, GDC 2017 Official Selection - Google Play Indie Corner, PAX 2016

About

Zyl

A minimalist puzzle game focused on elegant path tracing. Guide paths from start to exit by strategically placing arrows, collecting stars along the way. Enjoy a relaxing experience with handcrafted levels and no timers or ads.

Highlights
  • Elegant path tracing puzzles
  • 300 handcrafted levels
  • Collect stars
  • Cloud save sync
  • Relaxing music and sound
  • No timers or ads
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Zyl is a puzzle built around elegant path tracing. It's a small, quiet game. Soft colors, clean lines, and nothing on screen you don't need. Drop arrows on the grid to guide each path from its start tile to an exit. Pick up the stars on the way. When you're ready, hit Play and watch the route run. The rules: • Drag arrows onto the grid. • Send every path to an exit. • Pick up every star. • Hit Play to test the route. • Reset and try a new approach whenever. It starts simple, but then the difficulty ramps up: • Boards don't always use a clean grid. • Some levels have more than one start, or more than one exit. • Split arrows send a path off in two directions at once. • Merge arrows converge two paths into one. • U-turn arrows re-route a path from where it came. A few things worth knowing: • 300 handcrafted levels, each built around a single idea. • Levels stay small. Most of them can be finished in less than a minute. • Cloud save syncs your progress across devices. • Relaxing music and sound design. • No timers. • No ads. • No in-app purchases. • No data collected. Every puzzle has a solution. Some have multiple. The fun is in finding it.

Screenshots

Cosmic Express4 screens
Zyl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zyl at every 2 days against Cosmic Express's every 3 weeks. Zyl also leads on price ($1.99 vs $5.99). Cosmic Express's advantage is ratings volume (198 vs 41) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 16.6). On rating, 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

Cosmic Express costs $5.99 and Zyl $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cosmic Express against 4.7 for Zyl. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 198 and 41 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Cosmic Express's written reviews are positive against 83% of Zyl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cosmic Express ships an update every 3 weeks, Zyl every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Cosmic Express versus Zyl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCosmic ExpressZyl
Price$5.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (198 ratings) — better4.7 (41 ratings)
Positive reviews90.8% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings198 — better41
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#154 — better#195
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS6.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size196 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDraknek LimitedFleon Labs

Customer experience

Cosmic Express

All ratings198 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.3%

Zyl

All ratings41 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Cosmic Express

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Delphinus 6 cannot achieve gold star despite correct solutions
  • Accidental purchases through scrolling (multiple reports)
  • Duplicate billing for already purchased app

Requested features

4 requests
  • Level editor mode to create and share custom puzzles
  • Hint system or optional solution guides
  • More levels or sequel content
  • Different editing mode for easier track deletion/modification

Zyl

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Cosmic Express

No in-app purchases

None

Zyl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cosmic Express free?
Cosmic Express costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zyl free?
Zyl costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cosmic Express or Zyl?
Cosmic Express is rated higher. Cosmic Express averages 4.8 out of 5 from 198 ratings, while Zyl averages 4.7 from 41 ratings.
Do Cosmic Express or Zyl have ads?
Neither Cosmic Express nor Zyl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cosmic Express or Zyl?
Cosmic Express ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zyl every 2 days. Most recently, Cosmic Express was updated on November 6, 2026 and Zyl on November 5, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cosmic Express or Zyl?
Cosmic Express currently peaks at #154 in the App Store charts, and Zyl at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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