Unfoldit vs Shells
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Unfoldit
This app offers a unique puzzle experience where you visualize folding paper and predicting where holes will appear. It's designed to sharpen spatial reasoning, memory, and logic skills through over 1,800 levels. Enjoy brain training that fits into your day, with progress tracking and offline play.
- Visualize paper folds and hole punches
- 1,885+ handcrafted levels
- Hints and step-by-step animations
- Strengthen focus and memory
- Track stats for accuracy and speed
- Offline play
- iCloud sync across devices
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BOOST YOUR BRAINPOWER WITH EVERY FOLD & PUNCH. Sharpen your spatial reasoning, short-term memory, and logic skills — one puzzle at a time. Unfoldit is the original brain training game of paper folding and hole punching, inspired by real cognitive assessments and enjoyed by thousands around the world. BRILLIANT VISUAL PUZZLES THAT WORK YOUR MIND. • Visualize folds and mentally unfold them to predict hole punches across 1,885+ handcrafted levels • Start easy and progress through expert-level puzzles with precision • Learn as you go — hints and step-by-step unfolding animations guide you • Strengthen focus, memory, and cognitive flexibility with each puzzle BASED ON REAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE. • Modeled after spatial reasoning and visual memory tests used in academia, research, and admissions • Gameplay designed to challenge and enhance short-term memory and attention • Used by students, professionals, and puzzle lovers alike TAP IT, UNFOLD IT, WIN IT. • Short levels are perfect for those in-between moments throughout your day • Play hundreds of free levels — no ads, no distractions BUILT FOR PLAY — AND FOR PROGRESS. • Track your stats for each level — accuracy, speed, and precision • Personalize your experience with light/dark mode and gameplay settings • Play offline anytime — on flights, subways, or in short breaks INTEGRATED WITH YOUR LIFE. • Sync progress and stats automatically with iCloud across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Set optional daily reminders for encouragement to build a brain-training habit • Share level links with friends to challenge them to solve what you’ve mastered • Use Handoff to continue levels between devices for seamless gameplay • Use Siri Shortcuts to jump back into your next level instantly AWARD-WINNING & FEATURE-RICH. Unfoldit was a finalist in the 2019 Georgia Tech InVenture Prize invention competition. It's been refined for thoughtful minds, clever thinkers, and everyday geniuses. UNFOLD YOUR MIND. START TRAINING TODAY. Download Unfoldit now and join a global community of players improving their minds one fold at a time.
Shells
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.
- Nested block sliding mechanics
- Over 360 original levels
- 8 distinct game worlds
- Optional hint system
- Soothing piano soundtrack
- Compact 4x4 grid gameplay
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Shells is a geometry puzzle game about the elegance of nested pieces on a tiny board. Slide your block into larger shells to rearrange the board and find your way out! Features: - Simple core mechanics and deep emergent complexity packed into a compact 4x4 grid. Train your brain by challenging your problem solving and spatial reasoning skills! - Gradual difficulty curve featuring over 360 original levels spread across 8 distinct worlds. - Flexible progression structure with multiple levels to choose from at any given point. - Adjust the difficulty to your liking with the optional hint system! - Soothing piano soundtrack accompanied by relaxing sound effects and backgrounds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Unfoldit at none against Shells's shown. Unfoldit also leads on ratings volume (606 vs 22). Shells's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Unfoldit sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Shells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Unfoldit against 5.0 for Shells. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unfoldit has 606 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Unfoldit's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shells's.
Unfoldit ships an update every 3 weeks, Shells weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Unfoldit | Shells |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (606 ratings) | 5.0 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 98.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 606 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Erudite Apps LLC | arlybird games LLC |
Customer experience
Unfoldit
Shells
Bugs and requests
Unfoldit
Reported bugs
2 issues- Difficulty differentiating old and new holes in some levels
- Occasional freezing or crashing on certain devices
Requested features
3 requests- More advanced/difficult levels
- Ability to track progress and achievements
- Multiplayer or competitive modes
Shells
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Unfoldit
- Medium Levels$0.99
- Tiny Hint Pack$0.99
- Hard Levels$1.99
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- Expert Levels$2.99
- Small Hint Pack$3.99
- Grande Hint Pack$9.99
- Ream Master Hint Pack$19.99
Shells
- Small Bundle$0.99
- Medium Bundle$1.99
- Large Bundle$3.99
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- Unlimited Bundle$8.99









