# Dual N vs Pathways

Dual N and Pathways both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Pathways's written reviews are positive against 51% of Dual N's. Pathways also leads on ads (none vs shown). Dual N's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (375 vs 27). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dual N sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Pathways sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pathways holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dual N has 375 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Dual N's written reviews are positive against 90% of Pathways's.

Dual N ships an update fortnightly, Pathways every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dual N | Pathways |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (375 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dual-n-back-brain-training/id1578693948/reviews) | **[4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathways-spatial-logic-puzzle/id6754125972/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **375** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | 50.9% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 199 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GOKAKU SUPPLI, LIMITED LIABILITY CO.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1440310107) | [William Arbuckle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846740693) |

## What reviewers say

### Dual N

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dual-n-back-brain-training/id1578693948)

This app is a brain game designed to improve working memory and cognitive skills through a challenging memory-training exercise. It offers customizable difficulty, goal setting, and global leaderboards to track progress. An ad-free experience is available via a subscription.

**Highlights:** Working memory training, Customizable difficulty (N-value, interval, session length), Goal setting and reminders, Global leaderboards, Multilingual support, Ad-free Pro version

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NBack Monthly Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Pass | $12.99 | one-time |


### Pathways

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathways-spatial-logic-puzzle/id6754125972)

A minimalist logic puzzle game where players guide a dot to its home space by drawing colored paths. It offers increasing difficulty levels and daily challenges, with an option for advanced features like custom level creation.

**Highlights:** Draw colored paths to guide a dot, Solve spatial reasoning puzzles, Progress through increasing grid sizes, Daily timed puzzles with score sharing, Create and share custom levels, No ads, playable offline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Developpment | $0.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $1.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pathways PRO | $7.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $7.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $9.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $14.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $19.99 | one-time |
| Support Developpment | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dual N free?

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

### Is Pathways free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Dual N or Pathways?

Pathways is rated higher. Dual N averages 4.6 out of 5 from 375 ratings, while Pathways averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

### Do Dual N or Pathways have ads?

Dual N shows ads; Pathways does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dual N or Pathways?

Dual N ships an update fortnightly, and Pathways every 2 months. Most recently, Dual N was updated on October 24, 2026 and Pathways on October 24, 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.*