Comparison

holedown vs Simple Match 3

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

Head to head
About

holedown

Dig deep underground by strategically shooting balls to break blocks and reach planet cores. Collect crystals for upgrades and master bouncing patterns in this charming, minimalist game with an original soundtrack. Enjoy hours of gameplay with procedurally generated planets and multiple modes.

Highlights
  • Dig through six planets
  • Collect crystals for upgrades
  • Procedurally generated planets
  • Original space acid soundtrack
  • Endless play mode
  • Intuitive one-handed play
Features
Read full description

Dig deep underground by shooting balls and breaking blocks, traversing your way to the planet cores. With limited shots per round and some blocks fixed firmly to the wall, thoughtfully strategize and aim for maximum impact. Knock down as many blocks as possible while collecting crystals for upgrades and getting deeper beneath the surface. Choose your ideal upgrades such as more starting balls, more shots per round, or storing more crystals, based on your play style and overall strategy. Work your way into the procedurally generated planets with a delightful spectacle of bouncing as you get closer to the planet’s core. Balance your plan between ball bouncing patterns and unpredictable, surprising bounces in this mesmerizing and curious game oozing with charm. Immerse yourself in a world of extravagant minimalistic art while jamming out to an original space acid soundtrack as you feel the satisfaction of digging further underground. Features: • Six planets to dig through • Original soundtrack of seven diverse and space-acid themed tunes • A tight experience with 5+ hours of gameplay’ • Intuitive, one-handed play • Endless play mode • 5 achievements • 11 leaderboards • Split view support • Toggle for screen shake

About

Simple Match 3

This is a relaxing puzzle game where you swap tiles to make matches of three. Unlock hundreds of unique tiles, customize your game's appearance, and enjoy satisfying effects. It offers a peaceful experience without ads or excessive story elements.

Highlights
  • No ads or subscriptions
  • Hundreds of unique tiles
  • Customizable appearance
  • Daily levels with leaderboards
  • Zen Mode for relaxation
  • Satisfying visual effects
  • Achievements and boosters
Features
Read full description

Simple Match 3 is a relaxing and challenging puzzle game with absolutely no ads. Swap tiles and make matches of 3 to clear levels. Unlock hundreds of unique tiles and customize to fit your style. Discover a variety of different elements and mechanics as you progress through the game. Use satisfying boosters and power ups. Unlike most match-3 games, Simple Match 3 was created to give players a relaxing and satisfying experience, without annoying ads, obnoxious effects, or time wasting story elements. FEATURES: No ads: Absolutely no ads or subscription purchases. The base price includes 350 levels, a unique daily level with leaderboard, and zen mode. 1 small in-app purchase unlocks even more. Customization: Customize to your heart’s content with hundreds of different tiles and lots of different background colors. You can even choose the color of the user interface buttons to match your theme! Daily Level: Play a unique level every single day. Try to make it to the top of the online leaderboard! Zen Mode: Relax and make matches with no move limits, no goals, and limited obstacles in Zen Mode. Satisfying experience: Enjoy super satisfying effects as you clear tiles, smash through crates, destroy glass, and more! The effects were created to be satisfying, without being too obnoxious or overwhelming. Achievements: Complete a variety of achievements to unlock more tiles. Boosters: Spin the prize wheel every day to gain boosters. You can also get even more boosters by completing the daily goal. Handcrafted levels: Play through 350 handcrafted levels and try to earn 3 stars. Some levels are simple, others are more challenging. Discover a variety of unique elements as you progress. If you want more, 1 small in app purchase unlocks 350 more levels. Created with love and care: Developed by a single person with care. Levels are designed to be fun, challenging, and satisfying without the need to purchase endless boosters. Download Simple Match 3 today and see what makes it so special!

Screenshots

holedown4 screens
Simple Match 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Match 3 at 4.8 against holedown's 4.3. Simple Match 3 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (90% vs 72%). holedown's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On ratings volume, ads, monetization model and chart position 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

holedown costs $3.99 and Simple Match 3 $1.99 up front. Simple Match 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. holedown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Match 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 399 and 247 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of holedown's written reviews are positive against 90% of Simple Match 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

holedown ships an update every 9 months, Simple Match 3 weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
holedown versus Simple Match 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterholedownSimple Match 3
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.3 (399 ratings)4.8 (247 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.8% of reviews90.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings399 — better247
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#103#55 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB463 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwebbfarbror ABMulberry Tree Games, LLC

Customer experience

holedown

All ratings398 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews202 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral14.4%
Negative13.9%

Simple Match 3

All ratings247 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews193 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral6.2%
Negative3.6%

User reviews

holedown

From 399 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Satisfying physics and animations
  • 🎨 Charming visuals and audio
  • 💰 Fair pricing, no ads or IAPs

Room to improve

  • 🔚 Short campaign length
  • 🔁 Lack of replayability after completion
  • 🔇 No option to disable sound effects
  • 🐛 Occasional save data loss

Simple Match 3

From 247 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best Match 3 Game
  • 👍 Calming and Engaging
  • 🔒 No Ads or IAPs
  • 👍 Customizable Tiles
  • 👍 Relaxing Music and Sound Effects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs in Higher Levels
  • 🐛 Impossible Levels Due to Missing Obstacles
  • 🐛 Soft Locks with Rainbow Tiles
  • 🐛 Reward Box Tapping Issue
  • 🐛 Inconsistent Star Rating System

Bugs and requests

holedown

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Save data randomly resets
  • Gameplay freezes after certain actions
  • Sound effects not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planets/levels
  • Diverse block types and gameplay mechanics
  • Ability to skip crystal counting animation
  • Cloud save sync between devices

Simple Match 3

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Levels with Missing Obstacles
  • Reward Box Tapping Issue
  • Inconsistent Star Rating System
  • Soft Locks with Rainbow Tiles
  • Crashes on Opening

Requested features

6 requests
  • Level Editor
  • Endless/Survival Mode
  • Improved Power-Up Interactions
  • Hints or Shuffle Option
  • Landscape Support for iPad
Show 1 more
  • iCloud Sync Across Devices

In-app purchases

None

holedown

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple Match 3

One-time1
  • Simple Match 3 Gold$1.99

Questions

Is holedown free?
holedown costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Match 3 free?
Simple Match 3 costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, holedown or Simple Match 3?
Simple Match 3 is rated higher. holedown averages 4.3 out of 5 from 399 ratings, while Simple Match 3 averages 4.8 from 247 ratings.
Do holedown or Simple Match 3 have ads?
Neither holedown nor Simple Match 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, holedown or Simple Match 3?
holedown ships an update every 9 months, and Simple Match 3 weekly. Most recently, holedown was updated on October 20, 2026 and Simple Match 3 on October 19, 2026.
Which is more popular, holedown or Simple Match 3?
holedown currently peaks at #103 in the App Store charts, and Simple Match 3 at #55. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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