Dactyl vs Snowball
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dactyl
This is a fast-paced game designed to test and improve finger dexterity. Players must quickly defuse virtual bombs before they explode, requiring focus and quick reflexes. It offers a simple yet addictive challenge for those looking to exercise their fingers.
- Finger dexterity test
- Fast-paced gameplay
- Bomb defusal challenge
- Focus and reflex training
- Addictive gameplay
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Test your dexterity! Dactyl is an addictive, fast-paced exercise for your fingers. The premise of the game is simple--defuse the bombs before they blow up. Clear your mind and put your fingers to work... Note: Dactyl 2's first level is approximately the same thing as this app. (There is no penalty in Dactyl 2, however, for stray touches.) To get a feel on where you rank in the world, consult Dactyl 2's leader board for that level. Also available: * Dactyl 2 * Dactyl School
Snowball
Guide a penguin on a journey to collect snowflakes and build a giant snowball. Navigate treacherous crumbling floors with simple swipe or tilt controls. Enjoy an ad-free and purchase-free gaming experience.
- Collect snowflakes
- Build a snowball
- Crumbling floor mechanic
- Swipe controls
- Tilt controls option
- No ads
- No in-app purchases
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Snowball is easy to play, but hard to master. Play as a penguin trying to collect enough snowflakes to make his very own snowball, but watch out as the floor crumbles below! Simply swipe to move, or enable classic tilt controls via the options menu. The game contains no ads or in-app purchases. Snowball has been available exclusively for iPhone since 2008.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Dactyl at 4.9 against Snowball's 2.9. Dactyl also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 48%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.6). Snowball's advantage is ratings volume (185 vs 24). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Dactyl holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snowball has 185 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Dactyl's written reviews are positive against 48% of Snowball's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dactyl | Snowball |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (24 ratings) — better | 2.9 (185 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.2% of reviews — better | 48.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 | 185 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mauvila Software | Paul Ewers |
Customer experience
Dactyl
Snowball
User reviews
Dactyl
From 24 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun
- 👍 Simple yet engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Great time-killer
- 👍 Challenging and tests reflexes
- 👍 Competitive with friends
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sensitive background causes unintended losses
- 🔍 Lack of difficulty settings or levels
- 🔍 No online leaderboards or global high scores
Snowball
From 185 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and entertaining
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Great time waster
- 👍 Cool graphics
- 👍 Simple to pick up and play
Room to improve
- 👎 Not worth the price
- 👎 Lacks features
- 👎 Repetitive gameplay
- 👎 Annoying music
- 👎 Poor controls (older versions)
Bugs and requests
Dactyl
Reported bugs
2 issues- Game ending when touching background
- Occasional crashes or freezes
Requested features
3 requests- Difficulty settings or levels
- Online leaderboards and global high scores
- Pause button or option to save progress
Snowball
Reported bugs
2 issues- Poker invite message appears every time
- Sound plays even on vibrate
Requested features
6 requests- Add levels
- Add mission mode
- Add unlockable characters
- Option to turn off sound
- Remove poker invite message
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- Option to revert to older version
In-app purchases
Dactyl
No in-app purchases
Snowball
No in-app purchases
