Comparison

Dots and Boxes vs Boxed In

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

Head to head
About

Dots and Boxes

Engage in a classic pencil-and-paper strategy game with this digital multiplayer version. Connect dots to form squares and outscore your opponents in live online matches, private games with friends, or offline against the computer. Bet on matches and climb the global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • Live online multiplayer
  • Private matches with friends
  • Offline AI opponent
  • Betting and rewards
  • Live chat with opponents
  • Global leaderboard
  • Facebook login
Features
Read full description

Dots and Boxes is a LIVE, online Multiplayer version of the popular classic board game- Dots & Boxes. This amazing game is a modern take on the pencil-and-paper game that has been a favourite among players all over the world. 

 Objective of the game is to link any 2 dots and close the squares. The player who closes the most number of boxes wins. You and your opponents take turns to connect dots by adding a single horizontal or vertical line between 2 adjacent dots.

 Dots and Boxes: Multiplayer offers you a wide range of game modes including MULTIPLAYER mode where you play against players worldwide. 
PRIVATE mode lets you Create or Join a match with your family and friends. 
OFFLINE mode for keeping you engaged when you are away from the internet.

 Features:

 • Live, Online Multiplayer Dots & Boxes game • Play with gamers all over the world with MULTIPLAYER mode
 • Play PRIVATE game with your friends and family 
• Play OFFLINE turn-based game against the computer • Place your desired BET amounts and win Double Rewards • CHAT Live with opponents while playing
 • Top the Global LEADERBOARD and be the ultimate Champion • Login with FACEBOOK 
• Designed for both smartphones and tablets 
• Suitable for all ages

 If you love playing board games online, you will love Dots and Boxes. A perfect puzzle game for your friends and family. Download and play for Free!

About

Boxed In

Features
Read full description

Boxed In — Close the Box. Take the Turn. No dice. No cards. No power-ups. Just a grid of dots, eighty-four links between them, and thirty-six boxes waiting to be claimed. Every match is decided entirely by what you can see and count. THE RULE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING Draw a link. Close the fourth side of a box and it is yours — and you go again. That one rule turns a simple grid into a game of chains: touch the wrong link and you hand your opponent a run of six boxes in a single turn. THE DOUBLE-CROSS Beginners take every box on offer. Experts give two away. Decline the tail of a chain and your opponent is forced to open the next one for you. Master this and the endgame stops being luck and starts being arithmetic. AN OPPONENT THAT ACTUALLY SOLVES IT The computer runs a full search of the closing position — once the board is down to its last sixteen links, it plays them perfectly. Before that it counts chains, declines the ones worth declining, and concedes the smallest chain it can when cornered. A DIFFERENT BOARD EVERY TIME Each match starts with a handful of neutral links already drawn — usually four or five, sometimes as few as one, occasionally as many as eight. Never enough to gift anyone a box, always enough to change the shape of the opening. THE EXTRA MOVE Once per match, hold your turn through a link that captures nothing. Use it to delay the moment you have to open a chain — or to steal the tempo right before your opponent does. REWIND AND LEARN Undo any move and try the other line. Against the computer, that turns every match into a training board for the chain endgame. HIGHLIGHTS • Pure strategy: zero randomness once the board is set • Local 1v1 on one device, or a genuinely hard computer opponent • Crisp square grid, red and blue, built for clarity • Boxes pop as they fall, with haptic feedback on every capture Thirty-six boxes. One rule. Download Boxed In.

Screenshots

Dots and Boxes4 screens
Boxed In4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Boxed In at every 5 days against Dots and Boxes's every 2 months. Dots and Boxes's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Dots and Boxes sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Boxed In sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dots and Boxes ships an update every 2 months, Boxed In every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dots and Boxes versus Boxed In: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDots and BoxesBoxed In
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (23 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCodeHoundOne Date Private Limited

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Dots and Boxes

One-time8
  • 10000 Coins$0.99
  • 25000 Coins$1.99
  • 50000 Coins$2.99
Show 5 more
  • 100K Coins$3.99
  • 250K Coins$4.99
  • 95000 Coins$4.99
  • 750K Coins$5.99
  • Remove Ads$9.99
1 purchases

Boxed In

One-time1
  • Ad-Free$4.99

Questions

Is Dots and Boxes free?
Dots and Boxes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boxed In free?
Boxed In is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dots and Boxes or Boxed In have ads?
Both Dots and Boxes and Boxed In show ads.
Which is updated more often, Dots and Boxes or Boxed In?
Dots and Boxes ships an update every 2 months, and Boxed In every 5 days. Most recently, Dots and Boxes was updated on October 22, 2026 and Boxed In on October 6, 2026.

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