Comparison

Puzzle Buddy vs Gloss

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

Head to head
About

Puzzle Buddy

This app helps jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts catalog their collections. Track puzzles by status, piece count, and photos. It also features duplicate checking, loan tracking, and collection statistics.

Highlights
  • Catalog puzzles with photos and details
  • Organize by status (wishlist, completed)
  • Check for duplicate puzzles
  • Track loaned puzzles
  • Time in-progress puzzles
  • View collection statistics
Features
Read full description

Puzzle Buddy is a jigsaw puzzle tracker app for collectors. Catalog puzzles with photos, piece counts, and status from wishlist to completed. Search your library fast, check duplicates before you buy, and view collection stats. No account required—your data stays on your device. • Catalog your shelf with photos, piece counts, ratings, tags, and notes • Organize puzzles by status: Wishlist, To-Do, In Progress, Completed, Abandoned • Check duplicates quickly with barcode matching and search • Track boxes on loan and see when they’re overdue • Time an in-progress puzzle. Only one timer runs, and it can fill in how long the finish took • Log every finish — edit or delete a completion if you tapped Complete by accident • Track milestones and collection stats • Pick your next puzzle from your backlog when you are undecided • Fills iPhone Duo — vertical bars on the outer display, a wide catalog on the inner display • Built for accessibility: Dynamic Type, VoiceOver labels, reduced-motion friendly • Local-first: no login, no cloud account required

About

Gloss

Catalog and track your makeup and nail polish collection. Mark items as owned, wishlisted, or worn, and add photos, notes, and purchase details. Scan barcodes or use color matching to add products quickly.

Highlights
  • Catalog makeup and nail polish
  • Track owned, wishlisted, worn items
  • Add photos, notes, purchase details
  • Barcode scanning for product lookup
  • Color matching for lips and nails
  • Seasonal color advice
Features
Read full description

Gloss-ary is your personal makeup and nail polish collection tracker — everything stays on your device. Catalog and track products across nails, lips, complexion, cheeks, brows, and eyes, including multi-pan palettes. Mark items owned, wishlisted, or worn, rate your favorites, and keep photos, notes, purchase details, and wear history for each one. Scan a barcode to look up and add a product in seconds, or use Try & Match to photograph your nails or lips, sample the exact color, and find your closest catalog shades. Get seasonal color advice based on your skin's undertone to help you pick colors that work for you. Track up to 5 products free, with unlimited catalog browsing, search, and color advice always included. Go Premium for unlimited tracking. Your collection stays private and on your device — nothing is uploaded unless you choose to share a wishlist.

Screenshots

Puzzle Buddy4 screens
Gloss3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Puzzle Buddy at none against Gloss's shown. Puzzle Buddy also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium). Gloss's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Puzzle Buddy against 5.0 for Gloss. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Puzzle Buddy ships an update every 4 months, Gloss every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Puzzle Buddy versus Gloss: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuzzle BuddyGloss
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJacob RozellAiutomate LLC

Customer experience

Puzzle Buddy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Gloss

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Puzzle Buddy

No in-app purchases

None

Gloss

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Puzzle Buddy free?
Puzzle Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gloss free?
Gloss is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Puzzle Buddy or Gloss?
Puzzle Buddy and Gloss are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Puzzle Buddy or Gloss have ads?
Gloss shows ads; Puzzle Buddy does not.
Which is updated more often, Puzzle Buddy or Gloss?
Puzzle Buddy ships an update every 4 months, and Gloss every 2 months. Most recently, Puzzle Buddy was updated on November 3, 2026 and Gloss on October 31, 2026.

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