# Unlock! vs Shadows

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shadows at 75% against Unlock!'s 37%. Shadows also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Unlock!'s advantage is ratings volume (243 vs 2) and rating (3.3 vs 3.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Unlock! holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unlock! has 243 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Unlock!'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Shadows's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Unlock! ships an update every 3 weeks, Shadows every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unlock! | Shadows |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (243 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unlock/id1186762992/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadows-amsterdam/id1384373722/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **243** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 37.4% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 833 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JD Editions](https://appshunter.io/developer/1186762991) | [Tempete Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1340833765) |

## What reviewers say

### Unlock!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unlock/id1186762992)

This companion app enhances the Unlock! board game experience by providing clues, secret codes, and atmospheric music. It helps manage game progression, tracks scores, and adds to the escape room feel.

**Highlights:** Provides game clues, Enters secret codes, Atmospheric music, Manages countdown timer, Calculates game score, Enhances escape room feel

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable game
- 🤖 Cool and hard ideas
- 🎉 Amazing and fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio doesn't work
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy and dysfunctional
- 🤯 Instructions not clear
- 🤔 Confusing and frustrating

**Reported bugs**

- Ticket to Ride final puzzle broken
- Birmingham Murder app bug at game end
- Enchanted Adventures AR/voice detection issues
- Tonipal's Treasure app glitch
- The Formula sound bug

**Requested features**

- Add built-in calculator
- Include play history and total score
- Add accessibility features for hearing-impaired
- Support landscape mode on iPad
- Provide option to skip puzzles


### Shadows

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadows-amsterdam/id1384373722)

Enhance your board game experience with an official companion app. It offers a unique soundtrack and a customizable timer to improve gameplay atmosphere. Enjoy beautiful artwork from the board game.

**Highlights:** Unique soundtrack, Customizable timer, Board game artwork, Enhances game atmosphere

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Unlock! free?

Unlock! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shadows free?

Shadows is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Unlock! or Shadows?

Unlock! is rated higher. Unlock! averages 3.3 out of 5 from 243 ratings, while Shadows averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Unlock! or Shadows have ads?

Neither Unlock! nor Shadows shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Unlock! or Shadows?

Unlock! ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shadows every 2 months. Most recently, Unlock! was updated on October 29, 2026 and Shadows on October 19, 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.*