Comparison

Palette Splash vs Cairn

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

Head to head
About

Palette Splash

Engage in a vibrant color mixing and matching game with over 3000 levels. Encounter Decoy Jones, a mischievous character who adds challenges and unique gameplay mechanics. Discover runes for passive advantages and explore bonus levels.

Highlights
  • Color mixing and matching gameplay
  • Over 3000 levels
  • Match 3, Match 4, and All mechanics
  • Match Fruit Mode
  • Challenging Decoy Jones character
  • Bonus levels and experiments
  • Over 20 unique runes for passive advantages
Read full description

Palette Splash is a fun-filled color mixing and matching game. Immerse yourself in a colorful world and navigate through challenges posed by Decoy Jones, a pesky pest who will put your skills to the test. Get ready to master colors in an engaging and exciting way! LORE: Welcome to Palette Splash, a captivating mobile game that unfolds on Prismia, a vivid planet where colors are living entities, not just visual marvels. Within this world, tribes—composed of Shades, Values, and Hue—coexist harmoniously, bound by unbreakable affection. Meet Decoy Jones, an adventurer from the enigmatic realm of Incognitum, where the thrill of the unknown reigns supreme. While experimenting in Dr. Schrödinger's laboratory, Jones triggers a portal that whisks him to Prismia. Embracing his impulsive nature, he seamlessly integrates into Prismian society, injecting spontaneity into their lives. Jones, torn between longing for his home and embracing his love for adventure, adds a splash of unpredictability to Prismia's inhabitants. As he navigates the vibrant landscapes, he weaves excitement into their predictable routines, forever altering Prismia's destiny. FEATURES: Color Mixing Fun: -Experience the joy of mixing and collecting colors on a dynamic palette wheel in Palette Splash! With evolving difficulty levels, each spin brings new challenges and vibrant possibilities. -Match 3 mechanic, sometimes Match 4 or All! -Match Fruit Mode! -Embark on an endless color-mixing adventure with 3000 levels. From beginner to expert, each level presents exciting challenges that ramp up in difficulty. Decoy Jones: -Decoy Jones is on a mission to challenge and disrupt your color-mixing and matching endeavors. Brace yourself for escalating intensity, as his array of newfound abilities evolves alongside your progress. Bonus Levels: -Step into Decoy Jones' Laboratory, an exclusive bonus level that adds an electrifying twist to your Palette Splash adventure. Here, Decoy Jones delves into thrilling experimentation, crafting potions to bestow upon himself newfound abilities and embarking on a quest to unearth the elusive concoction that will carry him back to his homeland. -Stop Decoy Jones at all cost! Rune System: -Discover over 20 unique runes granting you valuable passive advantages throughout your gameplay. Each rune possesses its own distinct abilities, enhancing your color-mixing prowess and strategic approach.

About

Cairn

Features
Read full description

One tap. One slab. How high can you build? Cairn is a premium stone-stacking arcade game where you drop sliding stone slabs to build the tallest swaying cairn you can. Every perfect drop widens your tower. Every overhang gets sliced away. The higher you climb, the narrower the margin for error. What makes Cairn different The sky changes as you build. Dawn bleeds into afternoon. Afternoon softens into dusk. Dusk fades into night. The higher your cairn grows, the further the world falls away below you. It is a game you can feel. No countdown timers. No energy bars. No banner ads. Ever. How to play A stone slab slides across the screen. Tap to drop it. Land it perfectly on the slab below and your tower holds its full width. Miss the edge and the overhang is cut off. Keep going until the remaining slab is too thin to continue. That score is yours to beat. Simple to learn. Genuinely hard to master. Genuinely calming to try. Features - One-touch controls, zero learning curve - Infinite play: no levels, no end, just height - Perfect drops reward you with a wider platform - Sky palette shifts from dawn through dusk to deep night as you climb - Swaying stone physics that feel satisfying on every tap - Daily Challenge: the same seed for every player, one attempt per day, global leaderboard - Game Center leaderboards and achievements - No banner ads, no interstitials, no countdown timers - Opt-in rewarded continue only: no forced interruptions Premium, not free-to-play Cairn keeps it calm. No subscriptions, no energy systems, no aggressive upsells. An optional coffee tip supports development and unlocks a warm cosmetic glow. The game respects your time and attention. Who plays Cairn If you love classic arcade score-chasers like stacking and tower games but want something with more soul, a calmer pace, and a visual atmosphere you can sink into, Cairn is for you. It fits a two-minute break or a twenty-minute session equally well. Privacy No account required. No personal data collected beyond Game Center scores. No tracking for ad targeting. Download Cairn. Build something that sways. Cairn requires iOS 16 or later. Game Center required for leaderboards. Rewarded continue is optional and free.

Screenshots

Palette Splash4 screens
Cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cairn at none against Palette Splash's shown. Palette Splash's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Palette Splash sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Cairn sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Palette Splash ships an update every 2 weeks, Cairn every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Palette Splash versus Cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPalette SplashCairn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (29 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings29 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size407 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFiresight Studios LLCBranko Borota

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Palette Splash

One-time6
  • Remove Ads Permanently$0.99
  • Unlimited Bonus Levels!$0.99
  • Limited Deal Pack!$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Small Decoy Pack!$0.99
  • Large Decoy Pack!$1.99
  • Mega Decoy Pack!$2.99
1 purchases

Cairn

One-time1
  • Coffee$1.99

Questions

Is Palette Splash free?
Palette Splash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cairn free?
Cairn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Palette Splash or Cairn have ads?
Palette Splash shows ads; Cairn does not.
Which is updated more often, Palette Splash or Cairn?
Palette Splash ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cairn every 11 days. Most recently, Palette Splash was updated on October 22, 2026 and Cairn on October 25, 2026.

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