# Ships Squared vs Cardinal Chains

The clearest difference is price: Ships Squared at Free against Cardinal Chains's $2.99. Ships Squared also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.6). Cardinal Chains's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and ratings volume (24 vs 5). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Ships Squared is free to download; Cardinal Chains costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ships Squared against 4.9 for Cardinal Chains. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 24 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Ships Squared's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cardinal Chains's.

Ships Squared ships an update every 6 weeks, Cardinal Chains every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and July 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ships Squared | Cardinal Chains |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ships-squared/id288362680/reviews)** | [4.9 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardinal-chains/id1339737509/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **24** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.3** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Universalis Publishing](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942722) | [Daniel Nora](https://appshunter.io/developer/1199363689) |

## What reviewers say

### Ships Squared

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ships-squared/id288362680)

A logic puzzle game where players deduce the hidden layout of thirteen ships on a 10x10 grid. It offers varying difficulty levels, from casual to intensely challenging, and allows for custom game creation and sharing with friends.

**Highlights:** Deduce hidden ship layouts, 10x10 grid gameplay, 12 difficulty levels, Unlimited custom games, Design and share own layouts, Workout for the mind

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cardinal Chains

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardinal-chains/id1339737509)

A minimalist puzzle game where players link numbers in non-decreasing sequences to fill a monochrome grid with color. It offers a relaxing experience with a handcrafted soundtrack and elegant design, free from timers or ads.

**Highlights:** 500 unique handcrafted puzzles, Non-decreasing sequence gameplay, Chill-out soundtrack, Minimalist design, Customizable color themes, Achievements and cloud saves

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ships Squared free?

Ships Squared is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cardinal Chains free?

Cardinal Chains costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ships Squared or Cardinal Chains?

Ships Squared is rated higher. Ships Squared averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Cardinal Chains averages 4.9 from 24 ratings.

### Do Ships Squared or Cardinal Chains have ads?

Neither Ships Squared nor Cardinal Chains shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ships Squared or Cardinal Chains?

Ships Squared ships an update every 6 weeks, and Cardinal Chains every 5 months. Most recently, Ships Squared was updated on September 18, 2026 and Cardinal Chains on July 8, 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.*