Comparison

Otteretto vs Close Cities

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

Head to head
About

Otteretto

A unique puzzle game where players create palindromes using letters and otters. It offers multiple endlessly replayable game modes, including daily challenges and competitive leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Unique palindrome puzzle mechanics
  • Five endlessly replayable game modes
  • Daily global competition
  • Logical reasoning puzzles
  • Competitive cross-platform leaderboards
  • No ads or microtransactions
Features
Read full description

Otteretto is a puzzle game about palindromes (and otters). NEW PUZZLE CONCEPT This isn't another match-3 game; it's a whole new idea to wrap your head around! How long of a palindrome can you make? 5 ENDLESSLY-REPLAYABLE GAME MODES Classic: Try to reach each level's score goal in the addictive original mode. The Daily Stack: Join a global competition every day! How many points can you get from the same set of squares as everyone else? Puzzle: Use logical reasoning to figure out how to turn a set of squares into a single, massive palindrome! Containment: With more squares being added every move, how long can you keep the container from overflowing? Walls: In this challenging variant, you'll need to get creative to work around each level's impassable walls. COMPETE WITH THE WORLD See how you stack up with online, cross-platform leaderboards! NO ADS, NO MICROTRANSACTIONS Play Classic mode and the Daily Stack for free with no limits! If you like those, you can purchase the full game to permanently unlock the rest.

About

Close Cities

Build beautiful cities on diverse worlds by solving unique puzzles. This relaxing game guides you through 160 levels with a simple tap or drag interface, requiring no architectural knowledge. Conquer each world's challenges and travel through time with its calming soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Build cities on empty maps
  • Solve 160 unique puzzle levels
  • Intuitive tap and drag controls
  • No architectural knowledge needed
  • Travel through different worlds
  • Relaxing music and pace
Features
Read full description

Close Cities is a relaxing logic puzzle: build cities along the roads and give every road exactly the cities it needs. Easy to learn, hard to put down. HOW TO PLAY • The number next to each road shows how many cities it needs. • Every city must touch a road, and it can't be on two roads at once. • Cities can't touch side by side; diagonally is fine. • Tap or drag to build. When a city is valid, it lights up in color. 480 LEVELS, TWO MODES • Kingdoms: travel through different eras of history and build each king's empire. • Empires: cities of different sizes and roads that ask for new combinations. AT YOUR OWN PACE • No timer, no rush: think every move through calmly. • Relaxing music and a clean, charming art style. • Play offline: on the subway, while traveling or before bed. • Stuck? Ask for a hint. FOR EVERYONE • A quick tutorial teaches you the rules in a minute. • If you like sudoku and logic puzzles, you'll love it. • Free, with a one-time purchase to remove ads. Close Cities is made by The Pangry, the creators of Broki.

Screenshots

Otteretto4 screens
Close Cities4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Otteretto at none against Close Cities's shown. Otteretto also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Close Cities's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (365 vs 8). On price, in-app purchases, 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. Otteretto sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Close Cities sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Otteretto holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Close Cities has 365 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Otteretto's written reviews are positive against 69% of Close Cities's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Otteretto ships an update every 9 months, Close Cities monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Otteretto versus Close Cities: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOtterettoClose Cities
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better4.8 (365 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better69.4% of reviews
Number of ratings8365 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB165 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher KlimowskiJuan Manuel Altamirano Argudo

Customer experience

Otteretto

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Close Cities

All ratings365 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.6%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Otteretto

One-time1
  • Full Game Upgrade$2.99
4 purchases

Close Cities

One-time4
  • Hints - Small Pack$0.99
  • Hints - Medium Pack$2.99
  • Remove Ads + Hints$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Hints - Big Pack$5.99

Questions

Is Otteretto free?
Otteretto is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Close Cities free?
Close Cities is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Otteretto or Close Cities?
Otteretto is rated higher. Otteretto averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Close Cities averages 4.8 from 365 ratings.
Do Otteretto or Close Cities have ads?
Close Cities shows ads; Otteretto does not.
Which is updated more often, Otteretto or Close Cities?
Otteretto ships an update every 9 months, and Close Cities monthly. Most recently, Otteretto was updated on November 3, 2026 and Close Cities on November 4, 2026.

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