Comparison

Piccolo vs Rustling Paws

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

Head to head
About

Piccolo

Experience the classic strategy board game with a powerful AI and a polished interface. Customize your game with beautiful themes, play online with friends or strangers, and enjoy a seamless experience across devices. Includes fun iMessage stickers.

Highlights
  • Strong, customizable AI engine
  • Polished native user interface
  • Variety of beautiful themes
  • Local and online multiplayer
  • Automatic game saves and move undo
  • iMessage stickers
Features
Read full description

• #1 Most Downloaded Game (April, May, June, July 2021) — Japan Mac App Store! • Featured in Apple's "What We're Playing", "Games We Love" and "Best Games Made in France"! • "Beautiful, minimalistic and highly addictive." — TouchArcade • "A simple but captivating game." — Mac4Ever • "From us, this small but fine application therefore receives an absolute recommendation." — Appgefahren • "Whether you're a fan of the game or not, Piccolo will make you love Othello." — MaxiApple Piccolo® is the best Othello app for iPhone®, iPad® and Mac®. It features a strong, fast AI on top of a polished user interface, with beautiful themes, advanced features, online play and more. Piccolo is available in 20 languages and comes with no ads or tracking. It's an Othello app made for Othello players by Othello lovers. • Strong AI: Piccolo features a custom Othello AI engine written in the Rust programming language, designed to be fast, challenging and customizable. The AI's default Level 1 difficulty can be beaten by beginners, while its Level 8 difficulty is likely to challenge even top Othello masters around the world. Designed from scratch, the Piccolo AI engine is sure to give seasoned Othello players a new type of opponent to play against, with often surprising and creative strategies. • User Experience: Piccolo features a native user experience designed for iOS and macOS. A modern design lets you focus on the game, with helpful move indicators, the ability to undo moves, and automatic game saves between every move in case you close the app by mistake or your phone's battery runs out. Multiplayer play is supported both locally and online. • Themes: Piccolo features a variety of beautiful themes to customize and breathe fresh life into your Othello experience. Othello veterans might enjoy sticking to the Classic theme, while others might prefer the handsome Seasoned Wood theme, the adorable Sailor Moon theme or even the Persian Spray theme, inspired by traditional Iranian ceramics. Additional themes designed by guest artist Aline Corrêa are also available, giving you access to an Othello game on top of an alligator lake, inside an ancient castle, next to Egyptian pyramids, and more! • Play Online: Piccolo Online is a free online service that lets you connect with friends via easily exchangeable Game Codes to play friendly Othello games wherever you are around the world. Piccolo Online also supports automatic matchmaking so that you can quickly play games with random opponents worldwide. Piccolo Online features quick, stable connections, and benefits from a strong privacy policy. • Cute iMessage Stickers: Send cute “chibi”-style iMessage stickers to your friends with Piccolo's bundled iMessage Sticker Pack! Featuring 36 custom illustrations drawn by anime artist Erica Li, the stickers feature Piccolo's adorable mascot in different relatable situations. • No Ads, No Tracking: Unlike a majority of games on the App Store today, Piccolo has no terms you need to accept before playing. Piccolo will never show you a single ad, and will never track you. The app is entirely a labor of love for the game of Othello, made by players for players. • Available in 20 Languages: Thanks to contributions from players around the world, Piccolo has been translated from English into Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. No matter where you are, Piccolo's interface will be easy to understand. Othello® is a registered trademark of MegaHouse Corporation. Piccolo: Othello is an independent implementation of the underlying game, which is placed in the public domain.

About

Rustling Paws

Explore a serene, autumnal forest world filled with gentle inhabitants. Engage in thoughtful interactions, observe seasonal changes, and enjoy a calming, reflective experience.

Highlights
  • Serene autumnal forest environment
  • Interactive gentle inhabitants
  • Seasonal world changes
  • Reflective gameplay
  • Calming atmosphere
  • Exploration and observation
Features
Read full description

Autumn leaves carpet the paths, soft mist drifts between the trees, and the gentle rhythm of the season invites you to slow down and explore. In this cozy world, the forest is alive with quiet movement and the soft rustle of small paws. Every corner holds a moment of calm, a hint of curiosity, and a chance to engage with its gentle inhabitants. Step into a place where thinking, observing, and connecting with the surroundings becomes its own reward. The world around you shifts with the seasons, and the forest’s residents are always ready to respond to your thoughts, offering guidance, reflections, or a playful comment, depending on their unique personalities. Each interaction feels personal, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that encourages exploration and reflection. Whether you take a quiet moment to reflect, experiment with ideas, or simply enjoy the company of the forest’s inhabitants, the experience blends gentle challenges with heartwarming interactions. The autumnal palette, soft sounds, and ambient scenes invite you to immerse yourself fully, letting the pace of the forest guide your journey. Every visit brings something slightly new—an observation, a small conversation, a different combination of moods and responses that makes the forest feel alive. Take a deep breath. Listen to the rustle of the leaves. Here, in the heart of autumn, every moment is designed to feel meaningful, cozy, and quietly rewarding. Explore, connect, and let the gentle rhythm of the season carry you through a world that feels both familiar and full of subtle surprises.

Screenshots

Piccolo4 screens
Rustling Paws4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rustling Paws at none against Piccolo's 2. Rustling Paws also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Piccolo's advantage is ratings volume (658 vs 8) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating 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. Piccolo sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Rustling Paws asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Piccolo against 4.8 for Rustling Paws. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piccolo has 658 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Piccolo ships an update every 4 days, Rustling Paws fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Piccolo versus Rustling Paws: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiccoloRustling Paws
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (658 ratings)4.8 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings658 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSymbolic SoftwareMartin Cabana

Customer experience

Piccolo

All ratings603 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral8.6%
Negative14.9%

Rustling Paws

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Piccolo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • AI getting extra moves in certain situations
  • Settings button not functioning properly
  • Game freezing or crashing on some devices
  • Inconsistent piece size on different screen sizes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add online multiplayer mode
  • Implement an undo move feature
  • Add a tutorial or tips section for new players
  • Introduce a 'watch AI vs AI' mode
  • Allow customization of game board and piece themes

Rustling Paws

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Piccolo

One-time2
  • Theme Pack: Around the World$2.99
  • Theme Pack: Great Painters$2.99
None

Rustling Paws

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Piccolo free?
Piccolo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rustling Paws free?
Rustling Paws is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Piccolo or Rustling Paws?
Rustling Paws is rated higher. Piccolo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 658 ratings, while Rustling Paws averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.
Do Piccolo or Rustling Paws have ads?
Neither Piccolo nor Rustling Paws shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Piccolo or Rustling Paws?
Piccolo ships an update every 4 days, and Rustling Paws fortnightly. Most recently, Piccolo was updated on October 22, 2026 and Rustling Paws on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons