Comparison

Heart Star vs Donut County

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

Head to head
About

Heart Star

Guide two characters through parallel worlds in this charming puzzle platformer. Swap between dimensions to solve intricate puzzles and overcome obstacles using teamwork. Enjoy retro graphics and a catchy soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Unique world swapping gameplay
  • 60 levels of puzzles
  • Retro pixel graphics
  • Catchy retro soundtrack
  • Teamwork mechanics
Features
Read full description

Pocket Gamer Silver Award "A bright and smart platformer with a lot going for it" – Pocket Gamer, 8/10 Heart Star is an adorable puzzle platformer where you guide two little friends through two parallel worlds. Swap between the worlds to solve unique puzzles. Overcome all obstacles with the power of teamwork! Game Features: - Unique world swapping gameplay! - 60 levels of mind bending puzzles! - Cutting edge retro pixel graphics! - Catchy and cute retro soundtrack! - Important information! - This game is funded by adverts, but is completely free to play with no timers or boosters to ruin your experience. There is an option to remove popup ads for a one time in-app purchase.

About

Donut County

Control an ever-growing hole in the ground to swallow objects and characters in this story-based physics puzzle game. Explore unique environments, combine items for wild effects, and solve puzzles by manipulating what you consume.

Highlights
  • Story-based gameplay
  • Physics puzzles
  • Growing hole mechanic
  • Explore unique environments
  • Combine objects for effects
  • Catapult items
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Donut County is a story-based physics puzzle game where you play as an ever-growing hole in the ground. Meet cute characters, steal their trash, and throw them in a hole. WHERE TRASH IS TREASURE Raccoons have taken over Donut County with remote-controlled trash-stealing holes. You play as BK, a hole-driving raccoon who swallows up his friends and their homes to earn idiotic prizes. When BK falls into one of his own holes, he’s confronted by his best friend Mira and the residents of Donut County, who are all stuck 999 feet underground… and they demand answers! THE HOLE KEEPS GROWING • EXPLORE every character’s home, each with their own unique environment. • MOVE the hole to swallow up their stuff, growing bigger each time. • COMBINE objects inside for crazy effects: cook soup, breed bunnies, launch fireworks, and more. • CATAPULT things back out of the hole. You can use it to solve puzzles...or just destroy stuff. • DEVOUR everything. The hole won’t stop until the whole county is all gone. Donut County was created by Ben Esposito, designer on What Remains of Edith Finch and The Unfinished Swan. It is the result of six years of solo development, dozens of donuts (for research), and one fateful encounter with a raccoon.

Screenshots

Heart Star4 screens
Donut County4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Heart Star at Free against Donut County's $4.99. Heart Star also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (85% vs 56%). Donut County's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Heart Star is free to download; Donut County costs $4.99 up front. Heart Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Donut County asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heart Star holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 745 and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Heart Star's written reviews are positive against 56% of Donut County's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heart Star ships an update every 7 months, Donut County every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Heart Star versus Donut County: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeart StarDonut County
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (745 ratings) — better4.0 (2.8K ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better56.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7452.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#145 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.410.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB336 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJussi SimpanenAnnapurna Games, LLC

Customer experience

Heart Star

All ratings745 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews564 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral6.7%
Negative8.7%

Donut County

All ratings2,759 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.5%
Written reviews643 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral16.2%
Negative27.8%

User reviews

Heart Star

From 745 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Cute and adorable characters
  • 🎨 Retro pixel art style
  • 🎶 Catchy and enjoyable music
  • 🤔 Challenging but not overly difficult puzzles
  • 🕹️ Simple and intuitive controls

Room to improve

  • 🕹️ Occasional control issues and character sliding
  • 🔍 Lack of difficulty options or progression
  • 🕰️ Game is too short, can be completed quickly
  • 📺 Frequent ads can be disruptive

Donut County

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Satisfying gameplay
  • 👍 Charming characters and story
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and music
  • 🕹️ Innovative and unique concept

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Short gameplay duration
  • 💰 Overpriced for the content
  • 🧠 Lack of challenge or difficulty
  • 📜 Too much dialogue, not enough gameplay

Bugs and requests

Heart Star

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Teleportation issues causing unexpected deaths
  • Freezing or crashing when interacting with ads

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and increased difficulty
  • Customization options for characters
  • Multiplayer or co-op mode
  • Ability to turn off music and sound effects

Donut County

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or performance issues on some devices
  • Compatibility problems with certain controllers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Longer campaign or additional levels
  • Sandbox/free-roam mode
  • More puzzles and challenges
  • Ability to skip dialogue

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Heart Star

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

Donut County

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Heart Star free?
Heart Star is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Donut County free?
Donut County costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Heart Star or Donut County?
Heart Star is rated higher. Heart Star averages 4.6 out of 5 from 745 ratings, while Donut County averages 4.0 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Heart Star or Donut County have ads?
Heart Star shows ads; Donut County does not.
Which is updated more often, Heart Star or Donut County?
Heart Star ships an update every 7 months, and Donut County every 3 weeks. Most recently, Heart Star was updated on November 2, 2026 and Donut County on November 3, 2026.

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