Comparison

ilu vs Orixo Hex

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

Head to head
About

ilu

This logic puzzle game challenges you to illuminate dark areas by strategically placing lights. As you terraform barren planets and spread light, watch them transform with vibrant, animated life. Discover clever solutions and enjoy a relaxing, dynamic experience.

Highlights
  • Infinite relaxing logic puzzles
  • Illuminate dark areas with light
  • Terraform barren planets
  • Discover clever solutions
  • Dynamic music
  • Animated hint system
Features
Read full description

ilu is a puzzle game. In every puzzle, all that is dark must light up. You place a light by tapping a dark area. You will discover clever ways to place the lights as you play the game. STORY: ilu is light. You are a keeper of light. In the vast void of space, countless lost worlds drift in the dark. Planets that have lost their star mothers and are too far and cold for the rays of starlight to warm their dark and frozen features. It is your mission to terraform these barren planets. As you spread light through the worlds of ilu, watch the ground light up while colorful and beautifully animated plants sprout as the entire world gently teems with life. FEATURES: • Infinite relaxing logic puzzles solved with light • Simple rules that create compelling solutions • Dynamic music that responds to your play • An animated & intelligent hint system that teaches & guides your way The puzzles of ilu can be solved with pure logic alone. We wanted to share the wonderful "aha!" moments of discovering the solutions with you. ilu is supported with ads, but you have the option to permanently remove the ads from the game with an in-app purchase.

About

Orixo Hex

Fill hexagonal cells by performing actions in the correct sequence. This challenging yet relaxing puzzle game offers hundreds of handcrafted levels with immersive visuals and meditative soundtracks. It's designed to improve focus and creativity.

Highlights
  • Fill hexagonal cells
  • Hundreds of hand-crafted levels
  • 9 themed level packs
  • Relaxing soundtracks
  • Immersive visuals
  • Cloud saving and achievements
Features
Read full description

Orixo Hex is here! If you like Orixo, you'll love Orixo Hex! Similar to its predecessor, the goal is to fill all the empty hexagonal cells with the correct order of actions. As simple as it may seem, it can get quite challenging. Discover an immersive puzzling experience through hundreds of hand-crafted levels and enjoy the relaxing soundtracks that accompany you in your journey. Features - 200 hand-crafted levels - 9 uniquely themed level packs - 3 relaxing and meditative soundtracks - Beautiful and immersive visuals - Improves your focus and creativity - Cloud saving and achievements Enjoy!

Screenshots

ilu4 screens
Orixo Hex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ilu at none against Orixo Hex's shown. ilu also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 406). Orixo Hex's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 69%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. ilu sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Orixo Hex sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ilu against 4.8 for Orixo Hex. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ilu has 2.1K ratings behind it against 406, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of ilu's written reviews are positive against 90% of Orixo Hex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ilu ships an update every 3 weeks, Orixo Hex every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ilu versus Orixo Hex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriluOrixo Hex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.1K ratings)4.8 (406 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews90.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K — better406
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size535 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrainium Studios LLCLogisk Studio Inc.

Customer experience

ilu

All ratings2,122 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative22.2%

Orixo Hex

All ratings405 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.8%

User reviews

ilu

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Beautiful graphics and visuals
  • 🎶 Relaxing and soothing music
  • 🧠 Challenging and stimulating puzzles
  • 🆓 Free hints and no pay-to-win mechanics
  • 🕹️ Simple but unique gameplay mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🤏 Small touch targets, especially on larger puzzles
  • 🤔 Difficulty in distinguishing markers from lights
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
  • 📉 Lack of progress tracking or replay options

Orixo Hex

From 406 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😊 Highly enjoyable and fun gameplay
  • 🧩 Well-designed puzzle mechanics with good difficulty progression
  • 🎨 Clean, minimal, and polished graphics/UI
  • 🔇 Minimal and non-intrusive ads (5 seconds, skippable)
  • 💰 Fair and reasonable pricing for ad removal

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Ad close button sometimes unresponsive
  • 🔊 No sound options despite paid purchases
  • 🎮 Limited content - players complete all levels quickly
  • 🔄 Hint system resets when restarting a level
  • ⬅️ Back button limited functionality on larger puzzles

Bugs and requests

ilu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Placement of markers and lights not always registering correctly
  • Recent update changed visuals in a way that made the game less clear

Requested features

4 requests
  • Zoom or pan functionality for larger puzzles
  • Separate marker and light placement modes
  • Progress tracking and ability to replay past puzzles
  • More variety in background music tracks

Orixo Hex

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes immediately on launch
  • Ad close button not functioning properly
  • Back button limited to two uses before forcing restart
  • Hints lost when restarting a puzzle level

Requested features

3 requests
  • Additional level packs (X through XX and beyond)
  • More levels and content to extend gameplay
  • Sound/audio options for the game

In-app purchases

9 purchases

ilu

One-time9
  • 100 Ad-Free Puzzles$0.99
  • Terra Suit$0.99
  • Turbo Suit$1.99
Show 6 more
  • The Botanic$1.99
  • Pod$2.99
  • Spectral Suit$3.99
  • Chromus$4.99
  • Ayianna$6.99
  • Unlock Ad-Free$7.99
4 purchases

Orixo Hex

One-time4
  • Unlimited Hints$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.49
  • Unlock All Level Packs$2.49
Show 1 more
  • Premium$4.99

Questions

Is ilu free?
ilu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orixo Hex free?
Orixo Hex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ilu or Orixo Hex?
Orixo Hex is rated higher. ilu averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Orixo Hex averages 4.8 from 406 ratings.
Do ilu or Orixo Hex have ads?
Orixo Hex shows ads; ilu does not.
Which is updated more often, ilu or Orixo Hex?
ilu ships an update every 3 weeks, and Orixo Hex every 4 months. Most recently, ilu was updated on October 23, 2026 and Orixo Hex on October 24, 2026.

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