# Tricky Castle vs Paint Sponges

Tricky Castle and Paint Sponges both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Tricky Castle's written reviews are positive against 50% of Paint Sponges's. Tricky Castle also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Paint Sponges's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tricky Castle sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Paint Sponges sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Tricky Castle against 4.7 for Paint Sponges. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.4K and 4.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Tricky Castle's written reviews are positive against 50% of Paint Sponges's.

Tricky Castle ships an update every 5 weeks, Paint Sponges fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tricky Castle | Paint Sponges |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tricky-castle/id1473736890/reviews) | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paint-sponges/id6480411004/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.4K** | 4.1K |
| Positive reviews | **84.5% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 189 MB | 213 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [AI GAMES FZ LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1478916023) | [App Swim LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475582966) |

## What reviewers say

### Tricky Castle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tricky-castle/id1473736890)

Embark on an adventure to rescue a princess from a castle filled with challenging puzzles and traps. Navigate mysterious corridors, solve riddles, and overcome obstacles to find the key and escape.

**Highlights:** 120 unique escape puzzle levels, Unusual room escape mechanics, Hundreds of doors to open, Logic puzzles and 2D platforming, Light humor

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mysterious Premium | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mysterious Premium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Heroic Skins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mysterious Premium | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and creative puzzles
- 👍 Unique and interactive gameplay
- 🧠 Challenges the mind
- 🎨 Cute and polished graphics
- 💰 Reasonable one-time purchase option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads between levels
- 🔒 Frustrating level unlock system
- 🤔 Unintuitive solutions to some puzzles
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🏁 Disappointing or abrupt ending

**Reported bugs**

- Levels not loading properly
- Controls becoming unresponsive
- Progress or data being lost

**Requested features**

- More levels and content updates
- Ability to skip or bypass the level unlock system
- Improved hint system with less direct solutions
- Proper ending or conclusion to the story


### Paint Sponges

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paint-sponges/id6480411004)

Engage your mind with a relaxing yet challenging color-mixing puzzle game. Solve intricate puzzles to achieve the correct hues and unwind with this brain-exercising experience.

**Highlights:** Color mixing puzzles, Brain exercise, Relaxing gameplay, Challenging levels, Fun and chill experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Infinity Heart | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Ad Free | $7.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 3 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 4 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 5 | $54.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack 6 | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tricky Castle free?

Tricky Castle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Paint Sponges free?

Paint Sponges is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Tricky Castle or Paint Sponges?

Paint Sponges is rated higher. Tricky Castle averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.4K ratings, while Paint Sponges averages 4.7 from 4.1K ratings.

### Do Tricky Castle or Paint Sponges have ads?

Both Tricky Castle and Paint Sponges show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tricky Castle or Paint Sponges?

Tricky Castle ships an update every 5 weeks, and Paint Sponges fortnightly. Most recently, Tricky Castle was updated on October 26, 2026 and Paint Sponges on October 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.*