# Recursive vs Boxville

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boxville at none against Recursive's 3. Boxville also leads on ratings volume (779 vs 28) and chart position (#132 vs unranked). Recursive's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days). On rating, review sentiment, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Recursive costs $2.99 and Boxville $1.99 up front. Recursive sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Boxville asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Recursive against 4.7 for Boxville. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boxville has 779 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Recursive's written reviews are positive against 78% of Boxville's.

Recursive ships an update every 4 days, Boxville every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Recursive | Boxville |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **$1.99** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475/reviews)** | [4.7 (779 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **779** |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | **78.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#132** |
| Size | 4 MB | 1.2 GB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kidori](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550451304) | [Triomatica Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605475849) |

## What reviewers say

### Recursive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475)

A challenging puzzle game where you guide robots to collect gems by creating simple programs. Master recursion and logic with a minimalistic, easy-to-learn language and diverse level elements.

**Highlights:** Learn a simple programming language, Solve puzzles with robots and gems, Master recursion concepts, Explore diverse level elements, Challenging, hard puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 hint credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 20 hint credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 40 hint credits | $2.99 | one-time |


### Boxville

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847)

**Currently charting:** #132 Top Paid · Puzzle (US App Store)

This animated adventure puzzle game features speechless cans navigating a city of boxes. Solve logic puzzles and riddles, explore a charming world, and uncover the mystery behind earthquakes. Enjoy a unique audio-visual experience, playable solo or with a friend.

**Highlights:** Animated film and puzzle game hybrid, Hand-drawn graphics and custom animations, Environmental quests and logical puzzles, Unique music for each scene, Wordless communication via speech bubbles, Playable solo or co-op

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
- 🎨 Beautiful art and animation
- 🎶 Lovely music
- 🧠 Challenging but logical puzzles
- 🤗 Charming characters and story

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Short game length
- 🔍 Tiny inventory items hard to see
- 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤖 Lack of hint system or ability to skip puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Progress reset after updates
- Inventory items disappearing
- Puzzle mechanics not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Longer game with more content
- Ability to use stylus/Apple Pencil
- Improved save/load system
- In-game hints or ability to skip puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Recursive free?

Recursive costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Boxville free?

Boxville costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Recursive or Boxville?

Recursive is rated higher. Recursive averages 4.9 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Boxville averages 4.7 from 779 ratings.

### Do Recursive or Boxville have ads?

Neither Recursive nor Boxville shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Recursive or Boxville?

Recursive ships an update every 4 days, and Boxville every 9 days. Most recently, Recursive was updated on November 3, 2026 and Boxville on November 7, 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.*