Comparison

Shift Shaft 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

Shift Shaft

This puzzle game challenges players to match three or more rocks by rotating the entire game board. Upgrade your character's stats and unlock items as you explore an underground world and battle unique enemies. Enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Rotate the game board
  • Match 3 or more rocks
  • Upgrade player stats
  • Unlock over 30 items
  • Battle 5 unique enemies
  • Explore underground world
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“What really blew my mind with Shift Shaft and the main thing that makes it feel unlike any other game out there is your ability to rotate the entire board at will. It sounds simple but this changes everything… This is truly a thinking person’s matching game.” - Jared Nelson, TouchArcade.com A match & rotate puzzle Manipulate your player and the board by rotating it and clearing groups of 3 or more rocks. Build up your player Collect and spend gems to upgrade your stats and unlock over 30 different items during each run. Explore the underground world Go up against 5 unique enemies and the gem-eating spider to uncover the world beneath the mines. No ads & no in-app purchases Play for as long you'd like with no ads or pay walls.

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

Shift Shaft4 screens
Simple Match 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shift Shaft at none against Simple Match 3's 1. Shift Shaft also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 90%). Simple Match 3's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and chart position (#45 vs #199). On rating, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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

Shift Shaft costs $2.99 and Simple Match 3 $1.99 up front. Simple Match 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Shift Shaft asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Shift Shaft against 4.8 for Simple Match 3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 143 and 247 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Shift Shaft's written reviews are positive against 90% of Simple Match 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, Simple Match 3 weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shift Shaft versus Simple Match 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift ShaftSimple Match 3
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.9 (143 ratings) — better4.8 (247 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better90.1% of reviews
Number of ratings143247 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#199#45 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB463 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWilliam KatzMulberry Tree Games, LLC

Customer experience

Shift Shaft

All ratings143 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Simple Match 3

All ratings247 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive90.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.7%

User reviews

Shift Shaft

From 143 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative rotate screen mechanic
  • 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
  • 💎 Rare hidden gem
  • 🧠 Clever and entertaining design
  • ✨ Adds a breath of fresh air

Room to improve

  • 📉 Graphics could be less pixelated
  • 🤔 Difficult to pick up strategies
  • ⏳ Mid-run save feature missing

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

Shift Shaft

Requested features

2 requests
  • Non-pixelated graphics
  • Mid-run save option

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

Shift Shaft

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple Match 3

One-time1
  • Simple Match 3 Gold$1.99

Questions

Is Shift Shaft free?
Shift Shaft costs $2.99, 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, Shift Shaft or Simple Match 3?
Shift Shaft is rated higher. Shift Shaft averages 4.9 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while Simple Match 3 averages 4.8 from 247 ratings.
Do Shift Shaft or Simple Match 3 have ads?
Neither Shift Shaft nor Simple Match 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Shaft or Simple Match 3?
Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, and Simple Match 3 weekly. Most recently, Shift Shaft was updated on September 10, 2026 and Simple Match 3 on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Shift Shaft or Simple Match 3?
Shift Shaft currently peaks at #199 in the App Store charts, and Simple Match 3 at #45. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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