Shapes & Numbers vs Tiny Chess Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shapes & Numbers
A fast-paced puzzle game where players match shape and number combinations against the clock. Earn bonuses for perfect clears, but be mindful of incorrect answers that reduce your time. Created entirely on an iPad using Swift Playgrounds.
- Timed shape and number matching
- 3x3 board puzzles
- Perfect clear bonuses
- Increasing difficulty
- iPad development showcase
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Shapes & Numbers is a game about matching the correct shape & number combination within a set time period. Clear the 3x3 board in the time and you'll have to do it again, but faster. Be careful though wrong answers will reduce how much time you have left to complete the puzzle. Clear the board without making a single mistake and you'll earn a perfect clear bonus! Shapes & Numbers was created out of a challenge to create a game and publish it to the AppStore using only the Swift Playgrounds app for iPad. While Swift Playgrounds is not designed with game development in mind it does not mean a game can't be created and Shapes & Numbers is a proof of that theory. That being said there are some unnecessary design and functionality restrictions in place with Swift Playgrounds that do limit ability to the game that I wanted to make. Some examples of this include the inability to add Game Center integration for leaderboards, lack of .sks file support for particle effects, and no way to easily lock the rotation of the game to portrait mode - yeah don't rotate your device (it's not a good time). That being said, this is early days for Swift Playgrounds, and I do hope that Apple is already working on Swift Playgrounds 5 with the hope that they are going to build a unique, simple, and elegant way to make casual games like Shapes & Numbers. If you enjoyed this game, or the idea of making a game on your iPad, please consider rating Shapes & Numbers 5 stars on the AppStore and sharing it with friends and family. Let them know that this is the kind of stuff that even they could learn to do with a little time and effort and if Apple can figure out ways to make these tools even easier to use I do think we'll see the barrier to entry for game development come down even further.
Tiny Chess Clock
Transform your iOS device into a free chess clock. This app offers simple controls for popular time controls like Blitz, Rapid, and Classic. Customize your games with optional Delay and Increment settings for precise timing.
- Free to use
- Simple controls
- Popular time controls (Blitz, Rapid, Classic)
- Customizable Delay and Increment
- Precise timing for chess matches
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Turn your iOS device into a free, independently developed chess clock with Tiny Chess Clock (TCC). This single-purpose app is designed for simplicity, offering easy-to-use controls and the most popular time controls: Blitz, Rapid, and Classic. Customize your games with optional Delay and Increment settings. Enjoy precise timing for your chess matches with TCC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tiny Chess Clock at none against Shapes & Numbers's 1. Tiny Chess Clock also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 27 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Shapes & Numbers sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tiny Chess Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tiny Chess Clock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
Shapes & Numbers ships an update every 27 months, Tiny Chess Clock every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shapes & Numbers | Tiny Chess Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Davenport | Thomas Wiegand |
Customer experience
Shapes & Numbers
Tiny Chess Clock
In-app purchases
Shapes & Numbers
- Tips Welcome$2.99
Tiny Chess Clock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shapes & Numbers free?
Is Tiny Chess Clock free?
Which has better reviews, Shapes & Numbers or Tiny Chess Clock?
Do Shapes & Numbers or Tiny Chess Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shapes & Numbers or Tiny Chess Clock?
Other comparisons
