# Pasta Machine vs Project Salon

Pasta Machine and Project Salon both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 34% of Project Salon's written reviews are positive against 16% of Pasta Machine's. Project Salon also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Pasta Machine's advantage is ratings volume (8.7K vs 1.6K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pasta Machine sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Project Salon sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pasta Machine against 4.7 for Project Salon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pasta Machine has 8.7K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 16% of Pasta Machine's written reviews are positive against 34% of Project Salon's.

Pasta Machine ships an update fortnightly, Project Salon every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pasta Machine | Project Salon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (8.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pasta-machine/id1644846445/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-salon/id6447810135/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8.7K** | 1.6K |
| Positive reviews | 15.7% of reviews | **34.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 325 MB | 284 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Lumos Games Teknoloji Yazilim ve Pazarlama Anonim Sirketi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1546875451) | [SUPERSONIC STUDIOS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1499845738) |

## What reviewers say

### Pasta Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pasta-machine/id1644846445)

Engage in a relaxing ASMR idle and clicker game. Shape dough, slice with precision, and build your pasta production line. Enjoy satisfying animations and realistic sounds for endless fun.

**Highlights:** ASMR idle gameplay, Clicker mechanics, Dough shaping, Precision slicing, Production line growth, Satisfying animations, Realistic sounds

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

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ad Subscription | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP Pass 1 Week | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Starter Bundle Subscription | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP Pass 1 Month | $19.99 | per month |
| Speed Bundle Subscription | $19.99 | per 7 days |
| Endless Skip Subscription | $49.99 | per 7 days |
| Remove Ad Bundle Subscription | $54.99 | per 7 days |
| Skip-it 10 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gem 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Skip-it 25 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Fusulli Pasta | $4.99 | one-time |
| Skip-it Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Gem 3 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Game Pass | $6.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ad | $6.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer 1 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Pack Starter | $8.99 | one-time |
| Skip-it 100 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Spaghetti Pasta | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem 4 | $12.99 | one-time |
| Pasta Pack | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Satisfying gameplay
- 👍 Relaxing experience
- 💡 Unique concept

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Glitches and bugs
- 🤑 Excessive ads and monetization
- ⏱️ Slow progression and upgrades
- 🤯 Frustrating user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes after completing level 2
- Daily rewards not working as intended
- Progress resets when leveling up

**Requested features**

- More variety in pasta types and visuals
- Improved progression and leveling system
- Ability to play offline


### Project Salon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-salon/id6447810135)

Build and manage your own hair salon in this idle strategy game. Cut, dye, and style hair to attract customers, hire staff, and expand your business. Enjoy a relaxing simulation experience at your own pace.

**Highlights:** Hair cutting and dyeing simulation, Salon expansion and management, Customer attraction, Employee hiring, Idle strategy gameplay, Handcrafted worlds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SkipIts Pack 1 - 6 Skipits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - 100 gems | $1.99 | one-time |
| SkipIts Pack 1 - 20 Skipits | $2.99 | one-time |
| NoForcedAds_Pack2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Instant Product Delivery | $5.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - 255 Gems | $5.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Free VIP Guests | $11.99 | one-time |
| SkipIts Pack 4 - 200 Skipits | $11.99 | one-time |
| SkipIts Pack 1 - 80 Skipits | $11.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - 520 Gems | $11.99 | one-time |
| SkipIts Pack 5 - 250 Skipits | $23.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - 1.1K Gems | $23.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited SkipIts - NoAds Ever | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Good time waster
- 👍 Non-forced ads
- 👍 Satisfying gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🛑 Too many ads
- 🤑 Expensive to remove ads
- 🔁 Repetitive levels
- 💰 Lose progress when moving to new salon

**Reported bugs**

- Cashier getting stuck
- App force closing
- Data loss when exiting the game

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Ability to keep progress when moving salons
- More diverse customer base in the braiding shop


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pasta Machine free?

Pasta Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Project Salon free?

Project Salon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pasta Machine or Project Salon?

Project Salon is rated higher. Pasta Machine averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8.7K ratings, while Project Salon averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Pasta Machine or Project Salon have ads?

Both Pasta Machine and Project Salon show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pasta Machine or Project Salon?

Pasta Machine ships an update fortnightly, and Project Salon every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pasta Machine was updated on September 24, 2026 and Project Salon on September 23, 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.*