Comparison

Orixo Hex vs Simon's Bacteria

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

Head to head
About

Orixo Hex

Fill hexagonal cells by performing actions in the correct sequence. This challenging yet relaxing puzzle game offers hundreds of handcrafted levels with immersive visuals and meditative soundtracks. It's designed to improve focus and creativity.

Highlights
  • Fill hexagonal cells
  • Hundreds of hand-crafted levels
  • 9 themed level packs
  • Relaxing soundtracks
  • Immersive visuals
  • Cloud saving and achievements
Features
Read full description

Orixo Hex is here! If you like Orixo, you'll love Orixo Hex! Similar to its predecessor, the goal is to fill all the empty hexagonal cells with the correct order of actions. As simple as it may seem, it can get quite challenging. Discover an immersive puzzling experience through hundreds of hand-crafted levels and enjoy the relaxing soundtracks that accompany you in your journey. Features - 200 hand-crafted levels - 9 uniquely themed level packs - 3 relaxing and meditative soundtracks - Beautiful and immersive visuals - Improves your focus and creativity - Cloud saving and achievements Enjoy!

About

Simon's Bacteria

Features
Read full description

Simon's Bacteria is a turn-based strategy game built around one deceptively simple mechanic: rotate a stone, and watch the board change. HOW IT WORKS Each stone on the board points in one of four directions. On your turn, rotate one of your stones 90° clockwise — it moves into the cell it now points to, and can trigger a chain reaction of captures across the board. Read the board carefully: a single rotation can flip the momentum of the entire game. PLAY TOGETHER Challenge your friends through Game Center and play together across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Choose your favorite game mode, compete for victories, unlock achievements, and jump straight into a rematch. Your first 3 multiplayer games are free — after that, a one-time purchase unlocks unlimited multiplayer for good. • Multiplayer across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Three unique game modes • Game Center achievements and statistics • Quick rematches with friends PLAY YOUR WAY • Chaos Mode — a fully randomized board for a classic, unpredictable game every time. • Symmetry Mode — mirrored starting positions for a perfectly fair fight. • Balanced Mode — randomized but evenly distributed starting directions. THREE LEVELS OF AI (VINTAGE 1998) No neural networks, no cloud, no buzzwords — just an honest, old-school game AI in the spirit of 1998, built on classic move-search logic rather than anything fashionable. It adapts to the difficulty you choose — from a forgiving opponent that favors easy captures, to a sharp one that looks several moves ahead and plans around your counter-attacks. DESIGNED TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY • Clean, focused board — no clutter, no timers pressuring your every move. • Three visual stone styles to match your taste. • Game Center leaderboards and achievements to track your wins. • Your games and stats are saved locally — pick up right where you left off. • No ads. No account required for single-player. No data collection beyond what Game Center itself handles. FREE TO PLAY, OPEN SOURCE Single-player is completely free, forever, with everything unlocked — it's an open-source passion project. Multiplayer includes 3 free games to try it out, then a small one-time purchase for unlimited play. If you'd like to say thanks separately, optional tips are available in the Tips menu; they simply help cover the cost of the Apple Developer license required to bring an open-source project like this one to the App Store. Whether you have two minutes or twenty, Simon's Bacteria rewards careful thinking over fast reflexes. COMING SOON We're actively working on additional board generation modes and new AI difficulty tiers.

Screenshots

Orixo Hex4 screens
Simon's Bacteria2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Simon's Bacteria at none against Orixo Hex's shown. Simon's Bacteria also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 months). Orixo Hex's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases 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. Orixo Hex sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Simon's Bacteria sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Orixo Hex ships an update every 4 months, Simon's Bacteria every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Orixo Hex versus Simon's Bacteria: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrixo HexSimon's Bacteria
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (405 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings405 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLogisk Studio Inc.Andrei Kondratev

Bugs and requests

Orixo Hex

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes immediately on launch
  • Ad close button not functioning properly
  • Back button limited to two uses before forcing restart
  • Hints lost when restarting a puzzle level

Requested features

3 requests
  • Additional level packs (X through XX and beyond)
  • More levels and content to extend gameplay
  • Sound/audio options for the game

Simon's Bacteria

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Orixo Hex

One-time4
  • Unlimited Hints$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.49
  • Unlock All Level Packs$2.49
Show 1 more
  • Premium$4.99
3 purchases

Simon's Bacteria

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Orixo Hex free?
Orixo Hex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simon's Bacteria free?
Simon's Bacteria is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Orixo Hex or Simon's Bacteria have ads?
Orixo Hex shows ads; Simon's Bacteria does not.
Which is updated more often, Orixo Hex or Simon's Bacteria?
Orixo Hex ships an update every 4 months, and Simon's Bacteria every 11 days. Most recently, Orixo Hex was updated on October 1, 2026 and Simon's Bacteria on September 29, 2026.

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