Comparison

Marple vs PowerBall

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

PowerBall

Experience a unique gravity-based single-player maze challenge collecting stars, then switch to a competitive pool-like game. Employ tricky moves and avoid hazards to outsmart opponents.

Highlights
  • Gravity-based single-player levels
  • Star collection in mazes
  • Competitive pool-like multiplayer
  • Trick shot mechanics
  • Hazard avoidance (fire holes, devils)
Features
Read full description

A brand new game, or better, two games in one. Enjoy yourself with a gravity based single player levels, where you have to save your powerball in a dangerous maze, collecting stars during your journey, and later try to challenge others player in a pool like game. Not a regular pool game, but a powerball pool game. Use tricks to annoy your enemy, avoid the fire holes and the devils in the play area. Be ready, be quick!

Screenshots

Marple4 screens
PowerBall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Marple at 4.8 against PowerBall's 2.5. Marple also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (86% vs 67%). On price, ads 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. PowerBall sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Marple asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Marple holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marple has 48 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Marple's written reviews are positive against 67% of PowerBall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marple ships an update every 2 months, PowerBall every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Marple versus PowerBall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarplePowerBall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48 ratings) — better2.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews85.9% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings48 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.1
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikko KankainenLorenzo Malaguti

Customer experience

Marple

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

PowerBall

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

PowerBall

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Marple

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

PowerBall

One-time7
  • 5000 Coins$0.99
  • 20000 Coins$1.99
  • 50000 Coins$2.99
Show 4 more
  • 100000 Coins$3.99
  • Remove Ads$3.99
  • 250000 Coins$4.99
  • 500000 Coins$6.99

Questions

Is Marple free?
Marple is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PowerBall free?
PowerBall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Marple or PowerBall?
Marple is rated higher. Marple averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while PowerBall averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Marple or PowerBall have ads?
Neither Marple nor PowerBall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marple or PowerBall?
Marple ships an update every 2 months, and PowerBall every 4 months. Most recently, Marple was updated on September 22, 2026 and PowerBall on June 5, 2026.

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