# Pac.io vs Smiley Chain

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.

Both are free to download. Pac.io sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Smiley Chain asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pac.io | Smiley Chain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (297 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smiley-chain/id1549843492/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **297** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 139 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nomadic Bear Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1188304416) | [Quang Duc Vu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1038090500) |

## What reviewers say

### Pac.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coin Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Magnet | $4.99 | one-time |
| Thunder | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sword | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Coin Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Coin Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Coin Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Massive Coin Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😍 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 🎮 Fun Pac-Man inspired mechanics
- 👥 Real multiplayer players (not just bots)
- ⚡ Fast-paced and entertaining
- 🏆 Leaderboard and competitive features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads throughout gameplay
- ⚠️ Ads interrupt and crash the game
- 😤 Unfair difficulty and instant death
- 🎮 Sliding controls instead of D-pad/joystick
- 🤖 Questionable AI behavior and cheating

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Smiley Chain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smiley-chain/id1549843492)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*