Comparison

Marple vs Bubble Tap

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

Head to head
About

Marple

This logic puzzle game challenges players to deduce the correct order of 20 tiles using a set of clues. It offers millions of unique puzzles and includes a tutorial and hint system to guide players through the deduction process.

Highlights
  • Logic and deduction gameplay
  • 20 tiles arranged in 4x5 grid
  • Multiple clue types (In between, Left of, Same column, Next to)
  • Over 1 million unique puzzles
  • Tutorial mode
  • Hint system with explanations
  • Graphical help with beginner tips
Read full description

AWARDED "BEST PUZZLER" IN MACWORLD'S "THE BEST GAMES OF 2008"! NOMINEE FOR "BEST PUZZLE GAME" IN "2008 BEST APP EVER AWARDS"! RATED "BETTER" IN APPREVIEW! Getting tired of Sudoku? Why not try Marple? Marple is a game of logic and deduction. The playing field consists of 20 tiles arranged in 4 rows of 5 columns each and a set of clues. The goal of the game is to figure out the correct order of those 20 tiles using the given clues by process of elimination. There are four different types of clues: "In between", "Left of", "Same column" and "Next to". "In between" clue tells that the middle tile has to be located in between the other two. It however does not tell the order of the other two tiles or how far they are from the middle one. "Left of" clue tells that the left tile has to be located left of the right tile. It however does not tell how far apart they are. "Same column" clue tells that the two tiles have to be on the same column. "Next to" clue tells that the two tiles are adjacent to each other. It however does not tell the order of the two tiles. Features: * 1,000,000 fiendishly clever puzzles to play so don't expect to run out of them any time soon! At 3 minutes / puzzle, 1 hour / day = ca. 137 years of puzzles! * Tutorial mode * Hint system that highlights a clue that you should be concentrating on next and also explains exactly what you should be doing next. * Graphical help with beginner tips

About

Bubble Tap

Tap groups of 2 or more same-colored bubbles to pop them and earn points. Choose between Standard and Color modes, customize your background, and compete on global leaderboards. Earn bonus bubbles or purchase packs to enhance gameplay.

Highlights
  • Two game modes: Standard & Color
  • Customizable screen background
  • Bonus bubble mechanic
  • Global Leaderboard integration
  • Achievements and game stats
  • Undo last tap functionality
Features
Read full description

Bubble Tap is a bubble popper game where tapping on groups of 2 or more adjacent bubbles of the same color causes them to pop. The bigger the group you pop, the bigger the bonus - so the more you score! Play either Standard Mode (where all bubbles popped have the same value) or Color Mode (where different colored bubbles have different values). Earn a Bonus Bubble every 10 games that can be used to pop a single bubble & help build bigger groups. Your highest score goes on the Game Center leaderboard & you can earn achievements including long pop sequences, high scores & the number of games played. FEATURES: - 2 game modes - Standard & Color - Customizable screen background (take a photo or select an image from your device) - Bonus bubble after every 10 games, or purchase Bonus Bubble packs - Floating tap score indicator - Undo last tap - Top 10 high scores list - Global Leaderboard - Achievements - Game Stats

Screenshots

Marple4 screens
Bubble Tap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marple at none against Bubble Tap's 4. Marple also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (48 vs 3). Bubble Tap's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and device support 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. Bubble Tap sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Marple asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bubble Tap holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marple has 48 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Marple's written reviews are positive against 83% of Bubble Tap's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Marple versus Bubble Tap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarpleBubble Tap
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.9% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings48 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikko KankainenColin Lyders

Customer experience

Marple

All ratings48 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive85.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative9.9%

Bubble Tap

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Marple

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on launch for some users
  • Buttons/UI elements not fully visible
  • Clues get cut off on certain devices
  • Incorrect/missing puzzle solutions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add undo/redo functionality
  • Implement save/restore progress
  • Introduce different difficulty levels
  • Optimize for larger screens (iPad)
  • Improve color contrast and readability

Bubble Tap

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Marple

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Bubble Tap

One-time4
  • Bonus Bubble 10 Pack$0.99
  • No Ads Upgrade$0.99
  • Bonus Bubble 25 Pack$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Bonus Bubble 50 Pack$2.99

Questions

Is Marple free?
Marple is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bubble Tap free?
Bubble Tap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Marple or Bubble Tap?
Bubble Tap is rated higher. Marple averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Bubble Tap averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Marple or Bubble Tap have ads?
Bubble Tap shows ads; Marple does not.
Which is updated more often, Marple or Bubble Tap?
Marple ships an update every 2 months, and Bubble Tap every 2 months. Most recently, Marple was updated on September 22, 2026 and Bubble Tap on June 3, 2026.

Other comparisons