# Donut 80 vs Visual Pinball

The clearest difference is rating: Visual Pinball at 4.3 against Donut 80's 3.8. Visual Pinball also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 50%). Donut 80's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Visual Pinball holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 75 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Donut 80's written reviews are positive against 78% of Visual Pinball's.

Donut 80 ships an update weekly, Visual Pinball fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Donut 80 | Visual Pinball |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/donut-80/id1615085765/reviews) | **[4.3 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 49 | **75** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **78.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 2 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Donut Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/310068844) | [Jason Millard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527911552) |

## What reviewers say

### Donut 80

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/donut-80/id1615085765)

Experience classic games reimagined with an 80s aesthetic. This collection features low-resolution graphics, limited color palettes, and chiptune music, offering new levels and themes for both long-time fans and newcomers.

**Highlights:** 80s retro game demakes, Low resolution graphics, 16-color palettes, Chiptune music, New levels and themes, Collection of classic games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- ✨ Nostalgic retro aesthetic
- 🆓 Free to play, no ads/IAPs
- 🎵 Fantastic retro music
- 🕹️ Good controls and playability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💥 Frequent crashes on launch/game selection
- 📉 Games are boring (for some)
- ⏳ Been broken for months

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening games
- App closes immediately on launch
- Broken on iOS 18
- Kicks user out when tapping games/levels

**Requested features**

- Option to mute music/sounds
- Add more games/levels
- Make specific games full versions
- Retro intro sound
- Update description spelling


### Visual Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926)

Experience the full virtual pinball simulator with realistic physics, lighting, and sound. This open-source app offers a redesigned interface, enhanced table management, and the complete desktop experience for mobile devices. Enjoy a vast library of tables without ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Realistic physics, lighting, and sound, Redesigned interface with Liquid Glass, Full in-game menu for graphics and controls, Support for various backglass and display types, Easy table import and management, Optimized memory usage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome way to play virtual pinball on the go
- 👍 Super easy to set up with minimal file prep time
- 👍 Insane that I can play favorite pins on just my phone
- 👍 Fantastic portable implementation of VPX
- 👍 Fun and exciting to archive the history of pinball

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 More ability to adjust table settings needed
- 🔧 Struggling to manage camera angle
- 🔧 No fullscreen on iPad, plunger and outlanes cropped
- 🔧 Some tables don't work or have issues

**Reported bugs**

- Tables don't load for some users
- Certain complex/intensive tables error out or run at low FPS

**Requested features**

- List of most played tables
- Ability to reposition DMD
- Option to skip startup checks for some tables
- Ability to edit table scripts on the app
- Direct link to table depository


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Donut 80 free?

Donut 80 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Visual Pinball free?

Visual Pinball is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Donut 80 or Visual Pinball?

Visual Pinball is rated higher. Donut 80 averages 3.8 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Visual Pinball averages 4.3 from 75 ratings.

### Do Donut 80 or Visual Pinball have ads?

Neither Donut 80 nor Visual Pinball shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Donut 80 or Visual Pinball?

Donut 80 ships an update weekly, and Visual Pinball fortnightly. Most recently, Donut 80 was updated on November 3, 2026 and Visual Pinball on November 5, 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.*