Comparison

Mastermine vs PiKuBo

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

Head to head
About

Mastermine

Experience a 3D twist on a classic logic puzzle. Navigate complex boards across a 3D cube, utilizing unique power-ups and customizable skins. Compete globally on leaderboards and explore various game modes for endless challenges.

Highlights
  • 3D cube board navigation
  • Power-ups for board manipulation
  • Customizable skins
  • Global solve-time leaderboards
  • Multiple game modes (Time Crisis, Campaign, Sandbox)
  • Ever-increasing cube sizes
Features
Read full description

Mastermine is a 3D, Minesweeper inspired puzzle game - solve complex boards over a 3D cube. New features & twists keep the game interesting: - Power-ups rearrange parts of the board in 3D, shifting the game - Skins customise the look and feel of the cube - Challenges keep you coming back for more, and reward you with power-ups - A global solve-time leaderboard allows you to compete (cross-platform) with your friends for the world's fastest times - Ever-increasing cube sizes keep up the pace - Different original game-modes like Time Crisis, Campaign or Sandbox change it up even more On top of this, the game is 100% Ad-Free, and doesn't sell your data to anybody. The only purchase in the game is a Premium unlock to allow you to save your Campaign progress + a few other goodies.

About

PiKuBo

Engage in a unique 3D puzzle game where you reveal shapes by strategically removing blocks from a cube. Enjoy hundreds of logic-based puzzles with adaptive controls and soothing music. Unlock more challenges through in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of 3D nonogram puzzles
  • Logic-based solving, no guesswork
  • Adaptive one-handed controls
  • Customizable markers with four colors
  • Soothing bossa nova background music
  • Portrait and landscape viewing modes
  • Family sharing for level packs
Features
Read full description

Dive into the delightful world of PiKuBo, a captivating puzzle game that brings the excitement of cubic nonograms to your iOS device. With a unique twist on a beloved classic, PiKuBo challenges you to carve out shapes from a larger cube by removing unnecessary blocks. You can think of it as a 3D Minesweeper. • Interactive Puzzle Fun: Engage with over 500 puzzles, each offering a cute shape to uncover. • Adaptive Controls: Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, our controls are designed for easy, one-handed play. • Progress at Your Pace: Save your progress effortlessly and return to solve puzzles whenever it suits you. • No Guesswork Needed: All puzzles are solvable through logic alone—perfect for puzzle purists! • Customizable Markers: Use up to four paint colors to mark and manage your strategy without losing track of your solution. • Immersive Experience: Enjoy soothing bossa nova tunes that enhance your puzzle-solving ambiance, whether at home or on the go. • Flexible Viewing: Choose between portrait or landscape modes to suit your play style. • Shared Fun: Purchase level packs once and share them with your entire family group. • Visual Rewards: Relish the thumbnails of completed puzzles, a colorful testament to your puzzle prowess. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, PiKuBo is the perfect game to relax and test your brain. Start solving today! NOTE: The first pack, which consists of 31 puzzles and 5 tutorials, is provided for free. The rest of the packs are available as in-app purchases within the game.

Screenshots

Mastermine4 screens
PiKuBo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PiKuBo at 4.6 against Mastermine's 4.3. PiKuBo also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 73%). Mastermine's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Mastermine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PiKuBo sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PiKuBo holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 117 and 95 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Mastermine's written reviews are positive against 87% of PiKuBo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mastermine ships an update every 3 weeks, PiKuBo every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mastermine versus PiKuBo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMasterminePiKuBo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (117 ratings)4.6 (95 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews86.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings117 — better95
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size148 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam SoutarDaniel Benito

Customer experience

Mastermine

All ratings116 ratings
Positive81.9%
Neutral6.9%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral15.6%
Negative11.7%

PiKuBo

All ratings95 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive86.6%
Neutral7.5%
Negative6.0%

User reviews

Mastermine

From 117 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Innovative 3D twist on classic Minesweeper
  • 🎵 High-quality, well-designed music and audio
  • 🆓 Free to play with no ads in free version
  • 💎 Polished and well-developed game
  • 💰 Reasonable pricing for Pro features ($1.99-$2)

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Confusing control scheme (tap vs. hold)
  • 🐛 Accidental reveals when trying to flag
  • 🔄 Inconsistent touch detection and responsiveness
  • 🎨 Limited iPad support (portrait mode only)
  • 💳 Significant paywall for higher difficulties (8x8+)

PiKuBo

From 95 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative 3D nonogram puzzle concept
  • 🎮 Engaging and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Intuitive and well-designed user interface
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and visual presentation
  • 💰 Affordable pricing for puzzle packs ($0.99 each)

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Timer system feels rushed and stressful
  • ❤️ Heart/lives system frustrating for some players
  • 🐛 Occasional accidental block touches
  • 🔧 Controls reset when rotating puzzle
  • 💸 Pricing model requires multiple purchases for full content

Bugs and requests

Mastermine

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Leaderboard fails to load
  • Flag placement sometimes unresponsive
  • Sync error in settings
  • Refresh glitch causing progress loss after reinstall
  • Time Crisis mode timer starts at random intervals
Show 5 more
  • Inconsistent mine adjacency logic across cube faces
  • Numbers counting bombs incorrectly on adjacent faces
  • Touch controls registering unintended actions during rotation
  • Halloween event effects cannot be disabled
  • Thunder sound effects bypass volume settings

Requested features

12 requests
  • Customizable control scheme (tap to reveal, hold to flag)
  • Dedicated flag/reveal toggle button on HUD
  • Landscape mode support for iPad
  • Better tutorial and how-to-play guide
  • Number orientation lock (always facing up)
Show 7 more
  • Music track selection option
  • Improved camera controls and angles
  • Auto-clear feature when flagging complete numbers
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Alternative game shapes (hexagons, pentagons, spheres)
  • Ad-based alternative to paid features
  • Adjustable hold-to-flag timing in settings

PiKuBo

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • In-app purchase error preventing pack purchases
  • Purchase not received after payment
  • Support email bouncing back
  • Color contrast issue in Pack 12 (blue on blue)
  • Inability to expose enough blocks at certain angles for decision-making
Show 2 more
  • Mark/delete button deactivates when rotating puzzle
  • Cooldown timer on mark/delete buttons causes frustration

Requested features

15 requests
  • More puzzle packs released more frequently
  • Undo button for accidental moves
  • Save progress mid-puzzle
  • Ability to move puzzle around (pan feature)
  • Full 360-degree rotation capability
Show 10 more
  • Bundle purchase option for all puzzle packs at discount
  • Larger puzzles optimized for iPad
  • Difficulty-specific puzzle packs (all expert level)
  • Remove or improve timer system
  • Remove or improve heart/lives system
  • Persistent mark/delete selection across rotations
  • Three-state axis selector for slider control
  • Double-tap to start puzzle instead of GO button
  • Flatten rate option to purchase all future content
  • Webpage explaining all settings and features

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mastermine

One-time1
  • Mastermine PRO Upgrade$1.99
13 purchases

PiKuBo

One-time13
  • Puzzle Pack 02$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 03$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 14$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Puzzle Pack 13$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 12$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 11$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 10$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 09$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 08$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 07$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 06$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 05$0.99
  • Puzzle Pack 04$0.99

Questions

Is Mastermine free?
Mastermine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PiKuBo free?
PiKuBo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mastermine or PiKuBo?
PiKuBo is rated higher. Mastermine averages 4.3 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while PiKuBo averages 4.6 from 95 ratings.
Do Mastermine or PiKuBo have ads?
Neither Mastermine nor PiKuBo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mastermine or PiKuBo?
Mastermine ships an update every 3 weeks, and PiKuBo every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mastermine was updated on October 24, 2026 and PiKuBo on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons