# Grindstone vs Patterned

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Patterned at 38K against Grindstone's 6.7K. Grindstone's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Grindstone against 4.8 for Patterned. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patterned has 38K ratings behind it against 6.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Grindstone's written reviews are positive against 71% of Patterned's.

Grindstone ships an update every 6 weeks, Patterned every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grindstone | Patterned |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grindstone/id1357426636/reviews) | **[4.8 (38K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patterned/id1451427298/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K | **38K** |
| Positive reviews | **78.1% of reviews** | 70.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 988 MB | 764 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Capybara Games Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/424912058) | [BorderLeap](https://appshunter.io/developer/546937507) |

## What reviewers say

### Grindstone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grindstone/id1357426636)

Engage in a challenging puzzle-battle game where you slash your way up a treacherous mountain. Cleave through swarms of enemies, battle bosses, and discover blueprints for powerful gear. Over 200 levels of intense puzzle-battling await.

**Highlights:** Sword-slashing puzzle battles, Over 200 levels, Battle bosses, Loot resources, Discover gear blueprints, Cleave deadly foes

**Features:** With Apple Arcade, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Unique and charming art style
- 🎨 Excellent soundtrack and sound effects
- 💡 Satisfying chain combos
- 🕹️ Intuitive and challenging mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- ⏱️ Unskippable animations
- 🔄 Progress loss when switching apps
- 🤔 Difficulty spike in later levels

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing on black screen after intro
- Inability to complete certain levels due to glitches
- Disappearing save data after updates

**Requested features**

- More levels and content updates
- Ability to save progress mid-level
- Option to disable animations
- Landscape mode support on iPad
- In-game enemy encyclopedia


### Patterned

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patterned/id1451427298)

A unique puzzle game where you reassemble scrambled, repeating patterns. Solve intricate designs inspired by global art and enjoy a relaxing soundtrack. Download solved patterns as wallpapers for your device.

**Highlights:** Reassemble repeating patterns, Visual clue-based gameplay, Relaxing music soundtrack, Thousands of handcrafted designs, Real-time multiplayer, Downloadable wallpapers, Cross-device progress saving

**Features:** With Apple Arcade, Game Controller support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful artwork and patterns
- 🎶 Calming and relaxing music
- 🧠 Challenging yet satisfying puzzles
- 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🌟 Gorgeous wallpapers from completed puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficulty finding incomplete puzzles
- 🎨 Washed out colors on some puzzles
- 🧩 Pieces sometimes snap to incorrect locations
- 🔁 Repeating patterns can be frustrating
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Tutorial puzzle missing final piece
- Some puzzles appear incomplete or have missing pieces
- Multiplayer mode has connectivity issues
- App gets stuck on loading screen for some users

**Requested features**

- Add option to view only incomplete puzzles
- Improve contrast and visibility of puzzle pieces
- Allow pieces to be placed anywhere, not just in central grid
- Provide more diverse and representative artwork
- Add ability to download completed puzzles as wallpapers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grindstone free?

Grindstone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Patterned free?

Patterned is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Grindstone or Patterned?

Patterned is rated higher. Grindstone averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while Patterned averages 4.8 from 38K ratings.

### Do Grindstone or Patterned have ads?

Neither Grindstone nor Patterned shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grindstone or Patterned?

Grindstone ships an update every 6 weeks, and Patterned every 3 weeks. Most recently, Grindstone was updated on September 26, 2026 and Patterned on September 27, 2026.

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