Comparison

Shortcut Run vs Yarnboy

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

Head to head
About

Shortcut Run

Race against opponents by collecting floorboards to build bridges and take shortcuts. Outsmart your rivals to reach the finish line first with stylish cheating. Enjoy simple, efficient controls.

Highlights
  • Collect floorboards
  • Build bridges
  • Take shortcuts
  • Race against opponents
  • Simple controls
  • Efficient gameplay
Features
Read full description

Race against opponents, and stack up all the floorboards you can pick up along the way! If you're clever enough, get out of the way and build bridges and take shortcuts to get to the finish line before everyone else! Cheating has never been so stylish! Simple gameplay with efficient and easy to learn controls.

About

Yarnboy

Control a runaway ball of yarn, leaving a trail to navigate increasingly complex tangles. Master one-thumb controls for arcade-style gameplay focused on nerve and timing. Collect in-game currency to unlock shop items and compete on global leaderboards.

Highlights
  • One-thumb controls
  • Arcade gameplay
  • Collect yarn balls
  • Global leaderboard
  • Daily challenges
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

You're a runaway ball of yarn, and the thread you leave behind is the one thing that can end your run. Hold to curl, release to roll straight, and thread your way through tighter and tighter tangles. Yarnboy is a one-thumb arcade game about nerve and timing. The longer you last, the more thread you lay down — and the less room you have to move. One clip of your own tail and it's over. How long can you keep the yarn rolling? FEATURES • One-thumb controls — hold to curl, release to roll straight, double-tap to pounce • Easy to learn, genuinely hard to master • Collect yarn balls and spend them in the shop • Optional rewarded videos for a second chance or bonus yarn — never forced • Global leaderboard — sign in with Apple or Google to compete • Daily Tangle: a fresh challenge every day • Play fully offline as a guest — no account required No pop-up ads. No paywalls. Just you, one thumb, and a very long thread.

Screenshots

Shortcut Run4 screens
Yarnboy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Yarnboy at none against Shortcut Run's 1. Yarnboy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Shortcut Run's advantage is ratings volume (239K vs 2). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Shortcut Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Yarnboy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Yarnboy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortcut Run has 239K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shortcut Run ships an update every 2 months, Yarnboy every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shortcut Run versus Yarnboy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShortcut RunYarnboy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (239K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings239K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size313 MB13 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVoodooBrowning PC, LLC

Customer experience

Shortcut Run

All ratings239,215 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews1,351 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral13.2%
Negative40.6%

Yarnboy

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shortcut Run

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes and crashes frequently
  • Invisible obstacles and visual glitches
  • Unable to delete the app from device

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add multiplayer mode with real opponents
  • Introduce more challenging levels and obstacles
  • Increase variety of skins and customization options
  • Improve gender representation in character selection

Yarnboy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shortcut Run

One-time1
  • No Ads$2.99
None

Yarnboy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shortcut Run free?
Shortcut Run is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Yarnboy free?
Yarnboy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shortcut Run or Yarnboy?
Yarnboy is rated higher. Shortcut Run averages 4.6 out of 5 from 239K ratings, while Yarnboy averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Shortcut Run or Yarnboy have ads?
Both Shortcut Run and Yarnboy show ads.
Which is updated more often, Shortcut Run or Yarnboy?
Shortcut Run ships an update every 2 months, and Yarnboy every 2 days. Most recently, Shortcut Run was updated on October 31, 2026 and Yarnboy on October 24, 2026.

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