Comparison

Pac.io vs Smiley Chain

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

Head to head
About

Pac.io

Engage in an addictive grid-battle by swiping to outsmart opponents and dominate the arena. Utilize a variety of power-ups and unlock unique skins to enhance your gameplay and rise through the ranks. Enjoy endless fun offline or online with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Swipe controls for movement
  • Strategic power-ups
  • Unlockable skins
  • Offline and online play
  • Intuitive gameplay
Features
Read full description

Pac.io – Swipe, Power Up, and Dominate the Grid! Dive into the ultimate io grid-battle! Swipe in four directions, outsmart your opponents, and become the King of the grid. Every move counts—strategize, dodge, and strike to stay on top! Unleash Epic Power-Ups Turn the tide of battle with incredible power-ups: Bomb, Ghost, 5x Multiplier, Magnet, Sword, Thunder, Freeze, Laser, and Speed Up. Eat bigger players, escape tricky situations, and crush your enemies with style. Use them wisely—power waits for no one! Unlock Legendary Skins Show off your legendary skins as you rise through the ranks. Each skin makes you look epic and adds extra flair while you dominate the battlefield. Game Highlights • Play anywhere—offline or online, anytime. • Smooth, intuitive swipe controls for lightning-fast moves. • Easy to learn, impossible to put down. • FREE to play with endless battles, power-ups, and epic fun! Swipe, power up, and conquer—become the ultimate legend in Pac.io!

About

Smiley Chain

A classic falling block puzzle game where players connect groups of four or more same-colored smilies to clear them from the screen. Trigger chain reactions for bonus power-ups and compete for high scores on a global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • Falling block gameplay
  • Connect 4+ same-colored smilies
  • Horizontal and vertical connections
  • Chain reaction bonuses
  • Global leaderboards
  • Classic 8-bit style
Features
Read full description

GAME INTRO ---------------- Smiley Chain is a classic game that has falling group of 2 smilies from top of the screen. The pieces can be moved, dropped, and rotated as they fall. The piece falls until it reaches another smiley or the bottom of the screen. When four or more smilies of the same color line up adjacent to each other, the smiley will connect to each other, blinking and disappear. Smilies of the same color can connect horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. A chain is made when falling smilies cause a new group of smilies to disappear, making a chain reaction. When player made a chain, you will earn a special bonus: Big Eater or Random Brush that will clear a lot of smilies in a extraordinary way. You can compete your score with other playes via leaderboard worldwide. Now go for it and have fun! CREDIT ------------------ + Sounds generated from Bfxr. FAN PAGE ------------------ + Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qastudiosapps

Screenshots

Pac.io4 screens
Smiley Chain3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smiley Chain at none against Pac.io's 10. Smiley Chain also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (75% vs 54%). Pac.io's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (297 vs 4). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Pac.io sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Smiley Chain asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pac.io holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pac.io has 297 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Pac.io's written reviews are positive against 75% of Smiley Chain's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pac.io ships an update fortnightly, Smiley Chain every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pac.io versus Smiley Chain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPac.ioSmiley Chain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (297 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews53.9% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings297 — better4
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB47 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNomadic Bear GamesQuang Duc Vu

Customer experience

Pac.io

All ratings297 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral4.7%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral10.1%
Negative36.0%

Smiley Chain

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Pac.io

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Ads crash game at end of video
  • Game freezes after ad completion
  • Pink screen ad that cannot be closed
  • Instant death upon spawning
  • Players getting stuck behind walls
Show 2 more
  • Power pellet duration inconsistencies
  • Game glitching and crashing frequently

Requested features

9 requests
  • Arrow buttons or D-pad controls instead of sliding
  • Ad-free premium version for purchase
  • Ability to disable ads with WiFi off
  • Friend list and private room creation
  • Real player names instead of randomized ones
Show 4 more
  • Grace period or invincibility after spawn
  • Sound effects and audio
  • New items, levels, and game updates
  • Revert to original 2024 version

Smiley Chain

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Pac.io

One-time10
  • Small Coin Pack$0.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$4.99
  • Magnet$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Thunder$4.99
  • Sword$4.99
  • Big Coin Pack$9.99
  • No Ads$9.99
  • Large Coin Pack$19.99
  • Huge Coin Pack$49.99
  • Massive Coin Pack$99.99
None

Smiley Chain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pac.io free?
Pac.io is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smiley Chain free?
Smiley Chain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pac.io or Smiley Chain?
Pac.io is rated higher. Pac.io averages 4.2 out of 5 from 297 ratings, while Smiley Chain averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Pac.io or Smiley Chain have ads?
Pac.io shows ads; Smiley Chain does not.
Which is updated more often, Pac.io or Smiley Chain?
Pac.io ships an update fortnightly, and Smiley Chain every 4 months. Most recently, Pac.io was updated on September 21, 2026 and Smiley Chain on June 4, 2026.

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