Comparison

Chain Five vs Line 'Em Up®

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

Head to head
About

Chain Five

A modern card and board game where players aim to create a sequence of five markers. Strategically place markers on the board by selecting cards from your hand. Play against friends or strangers online, or locally on the same device.

Highlights
  • Chain 5 markers to win
  • Play online with Game Center matchmaking
  • Local same-device multiplayer
  • Built-in messaging for online matches
  • Modern menus and animations
  • Haptic feedback support
Features
Read full description

Chain Five is a modern take on a classic card and board game mashup! The rules are simple: first to chain a sequence of 5 wins! You can chain markers to create a sequence in any direction—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Each player is dealt 5 cards. Selecting a card in your hand will highlight its possible placements on the board. Tapping a location once it's highlighted will place your marker and complete your turn. Features: - Support for iPhone X and iOS 11 - Backwards compatibility with all devices running iOS 9 and later. Even you, iPhone 4s. - Game Center matchmaking. Go head-to-head against friends and players online, no matter their location. - Same device mode. Nobody online? Play locally by passing your device instead! - Modern menus and animations - Haptic feedback (supported devices only) - Built-in messaging system for online matches - Recent move indicator. Not paying attention? No problem. - Accessible help menu Enjoy the game!

About

Line 'Em Up®

This is a two-player board game where players aim to create two rows of five chips. Utilize strategy with playing cards, wild cards, and opponent chip removal to outsmart your opponent. Play against friends or random players worldwide in fast or slow game modes.

Highlights
  • Multiplayer gameplay
  • Play with friends or random opponents
  • Fast and slow game modes
  • Chat with opponents
  • Earn coins to unlock avatars
  • Wild cards and opponent chip removal
Features
Read full description

Outsmart friends and rivals worldwide in Line 'Em Up® — a fast, strategic two-player board game where the first to build two rows of five chips wins. Play your way: blitz through 60-second turns or take up to 24 hours per move. ● GAME MODES - 60-Second Mode — Beat the clock. One minute per turn keeps the pressure on. - 24-Hour Mode — Play at your own pace. Perfect for matches that fit around your day. ● FEATURES - Online multiplayer — challenge friends or get matched with players worldwide - In-game chat with your opponent - Level up faster with challenges and claim your rewards - Unlock a growing collection of avatars and chips ● HOW TO PLAY Each player is dealt seven cards representing spots on the board. Play a card, place a chip, and draw a new one. Build two rows of five chips to win — but watch out: - Blue Jacks are wild — place a chip anywhere - Red Jacks remove an opponent's chip - Corner spots count as free chips, giving you a head start on a row - Completed rows lock — and locked chips can be reused in new rows Simple to learn. Tough to master. Every match rewards sharp strategy. ● CONTACT Questions or feature ideas? Reach us at hello@boredgames.dk — we'd love to hear from you. [:mav: 2.0.29]

Screenshots

Chain Five4 screens
Line 'Em Up®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chain Five at none against Line 'Em Up®'s 10. Chain Five also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (86% vs 51%). Line 'Em Up®'s advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (18K vs 91). On price, rating and device support 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. Line 'Em Up® sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Chain Five asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chain Five against 4.8 for Line 'Em Up®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Line 'Em Up® has 18K ratings behind it against 91, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Chain Five's written reviews are positive against 51% of Line 'Em Up®'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chain Five ships an update every 5 months, Line 'Em Up® every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chain Five versus Line 'Em Up®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChain FiveLine 'Em Up®
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (91 ratings) — better4.8 (18K ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better50.9% of reviews
Number of ratings9118K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB149 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperKyle JohnsonBored Games ApS

Customer experience

Chain Five

All ratings89 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Line 'Em Up®

All ratings17,583 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews521 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral12.3%
Negative36.9%

Bugs and requests

Chain Five

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Line 'Em Up®

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Games freezing or ending prematurely
  • Inability to close or remove active games
  • Inconsistent behavior when opponents time out
  • Syncing and account restoration issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to block or mute disruptive players
  • Ability to merge accounts across devices
  • Earn free credits/coins through gameplay
  • More customization options (board layout, themes, etc.)
  • Improved social features (leaderboards, tournaments, etc.)

In-app purchases

None

Chain Five

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Line 'Em Up®

One-time10
  • 30 Tickets$1.99
  • 50 Tickets — Bonus Offer$1.99
  • Premium: 1 Month Ad Free$3.99
Show 7 more
  • 100 Tickets$4.99
  • Ad-Free Week Bundle$4.99
  • Premium: 3 Months Ad Free$7.99
  • 300 Tickets$9.99
  • Premium: 6 Months Ad Free$12.99
  • Premium: 12 Months Ad Free$19.99
  • Mega Bundle$24.99

Questions

Is Chain Five free?
Chain Five is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Line 'Em Up® free?
Line 'Em Up® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chain Five or Line 'Em Up®?
Chain Five is rated higher. Chain Five averages 4.8 out of 5 from 91 ratings, while Line 'Em Up® averages 4.8 from 18K ratings.
Do Chain Five or Line 'Em Up® have ads?
Line 'Em Up® shows ads; Chain Five does not.
Which is updated more often, Chain Five or Line 'Em Up®?
Chain Five ships an update every 5 months, and Line 'Em Up® every 11 days. Most recently, Chain Five was updated on November 2, 2026 and Line 'Em Up® on November 10, 2026.

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