# Hideaways vs Detective Mio

Hideaways and Detective Mio both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Detective Mio's written reviews are positive against 44% of Hideaways's. Detective Mio also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Hideaways's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 301). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hideaways sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Detective Mio sells 4 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 — 4.7 for Hideaways against 4.6 for Detective Mio. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hideaways has 2.4K ratings behind it against 301, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Hideaways's written reviews are positive against 86% of Detective Mio's.

Hideaways ships an update monthly, Detective Mio every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hideaways | Detective Mio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hideaways-spot-the-difference/id1518466732/reviews)** | [4.6 (301 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-mio/id1577135213/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 301 |
| Positive reviews | 44.2% of reviews | **86.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 794 MB | 273 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RoadRocks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1295007260) | [1N1](https://appshunter.io/developer/1282816708) |

## What reviewers say

### Hideaways

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hideaways-spot-the-difference/id1518466732)

Explore beautifully crafted worlds and discover human stories in this reimagined spot-the-difference game. Enjoy a calm challenge that exercises attention and memory while immersing yourself in atmospheric music and gentle narratives.

**Highlights:** Beautifully crafted worlds, Handmade atmospheric music, Untimed scavenger hunts, 144 human stories, Calming gameplay, Attention and memory exercise

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TRICKLE(5 hints) | $0.99 | one-time |
| BREEZE(10 hints) | $1.99 | one-time |
| DUET | $1.99 | one-time |
| FOUNT(20 hints) | $2.99 | one-time |
| LUCID LENS | $2.99 | one-time |
| DELUGE(50 hints) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Grand W. | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful graphics and art style
- 🎶 Relaxing and soothing music
- 🧠 Challenging yet engaging puzzles
- 🕰️ No time limits or pressure
- 💆‍♀️ Calming and stress-relieving experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Differences can be hard to spot at times
- 🚫 Frequent ads that interrupt gameplay
- 💰 Paid version required to remove ads
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs on certain levels
- 🔍 Issues with level progression and saving progress

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes during tutorial
- Differences not registering correctly
- Levels not loading properly
- Issues with screen size and layout

**Requested features**

- Option to disable background music
- Ability to save progress within a level
- More level variety and increased difficulty
- Cross-device syncing of progress


### Detective Mio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-mio/id1577135213)

Solve puzzles and quizzes to find hidden animals in various imaginative locations. This interactive game requires tapping, swiping, and dragging to uncover clues and complete illustrations. Decorate your detective office with earned items and enjoy offline play.

**Highlights:** Hidden object finding, Nonsense quizzes and puzzles, Interactive tap, swipe, drag mechanics, Animal rescue missions, Detective office decoration, Offline play

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| hint item 10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| hint item 25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| remove interstitial ads pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove all ads package | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Adorable and cute art style with charming character design
- 🧩 Engaging puzzle mechanics that blend detective work with hidden object finding
- 😌 Relaxing and healing gameplay experience
- 🎮 Well-balanced difficulty level - challenging but not frustrating
- 😸 Lovable cat characters throughout the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Extremely short game - only 20 levels completed in 1-2 hours
- 💰 Poor value for money - $5 ad removal purchase for limited content
- 🚫 No updates for over a year despite active player base
- 📖 Small text in clues difficult to read without zoom option
- 🎯 Some puzzle mechanics are unintuitive and confusing

**Reported bugs**

- Haunted house level prevents progression to next case
- Ad countdown timer runs without showing actual ad
- Some objects don't respond to required interactions
- Hint system shows incorrect or already-solved clues
- Touch input fails to register on certain objects

**Requested features**

- Add significantly more levels and cases
- Implement regular content updates
- Increase office/detective space for more decoration options
- Add zoom feature for reading clues more clearly
- Create seasonal or holiday-themed cases


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hideaways free?

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

### Is Detective Mio free?

Detective Mio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hideaways or Detective Mio?

Hideaways is rated higher. Hideaways averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Detective Mio averages 4.6 from 301 ratings.

### Do Hideaways or Detective Mio have ads?

Both Hideaways and Detective Mio show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hideaways or Detective Mio?

Hideaways ships an update monthly, and Detective Mio every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hideaways was updated on September 23, 2026 and Detective Mio on September 23, 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.*