Comparison

PuzzleManiak vs Barnard's Star

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

Head to head
About

PuzzleManiak

Engage your mind with a vast collection of 24 unique logic puzzles, each generated on-the-fly for endless replayability. Compete with players worldwide through daily challenges and online leagues, with adjustable difficulty levels and detailed statistics to track your progress.

Highlights
  • 24 unique logic puzzle games
  • On-the-fly puzzle generation
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Detailed statistics tracking
  • Daily challenges
  • Online leagues and rankings
Features
Read full description

PuzzleManiak is a collection of 24 puzzle games: Sudoku, Pattern (Picross like), Bridges, Dominosa, Filling, Galaxies, Loopy, LightUp, Mines, Net, Rectangles, Slant, Tents, Unequal, Untangle, Blackbox, SameGame, Pegs, Mastermind, Map, Magnets, Singles, Range and Netslide. All games are generated on-the-fly with a unique solution, thus you’ll never play the same puzzle twice. All games offer multiple levels from easy to hard. Statistics are maintained for each game, and each level of difficulty. For each game, a daily challenge is available: in this mode, everyday, all players play the same puzzle and compare their scores with other players. Another online mode is available: the Online League. After any (local) game, you can submit it to the website, so that every other players can play it and thus you can compare your scores to other ones. An overall ranking is available, and ranking are also available for each game. All online features are now available with Auto-renewable subscriptions only: • You can choose between 3 subscriptions: - 1 month subscription: $1.49 - 6 months subscription: $7.49 - 1 year subscription: $12.99 • There is a trial period of 2 weeks for all types of subscriptions. • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. • Terms of use: http://puzzlemaniak.com/termsofuse.html • Privacy Policy: http://puzzlemaniak.com/policy.html

About

Barnard's Star

Engage in strategic, turn-based multiplayer battles across space. Outwit opponents with unique character abilities and tactical map control. Victory depends solely on your strategic prowess, with no reliance on luck or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Multiplayer turn-based tactics
  • No micro-transactions or random chance
  • 3 warring factions (Humans, Robots, Critters)
  • 30 characters with unique attacks
  • 18 maps on space stations and ships
  • Offline vs. AI and local multiplayer
  • Online multiplayer challenges
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Snipe your friends, electrocute your enemies and rain down acidic slime in the Barnard’s Star system, 6 light years from Earth. A multiplayer, turn-based tactics battler with no micro-transactions and no random chance — ingenuity is the only way to victory! Features: - Choose between 3 warring factions: Humans, Robots, and Critters - Do battle with 30 characters using dozens of unique attacks and abilities - Conquer 18 different maps set on space stations and intergalactic ships - Play offline vs. AI or locally against a friend - Challenge friends and strangers with online multiplayer

Screenshots

PuzzleManiak4 screens
Barnard's Star3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Barnard's Star at 4.7 against PuzzleManiak's 3.1. Barnard's Star also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#200 vs unranked). PuzzleManiak's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 weeks) and price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

PuzzleManiak costs $0.99 and Barnard's Star $3.99 up front. PuzzleManiak sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Barnard's Star asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Barnard's Star holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 46 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of PuzzleManiak's written reviews are positive against 77% of Barnard's Star's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PuzzleManiak ships an update every 2 days, Barnard's Star every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
PuzzleManiak versus Barnard's Star: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuzzleManiakBarnard's Star
Price$0.99 — better$3.99
Rating3.1 (23 ratings)4.7 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews77.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2346 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
Best chart rank—#200 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB122 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAlexandre MinardPollywog Games

Customer experience

PuzzleManiak

All ratings23 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative43.5%
Written reviews162 reviews
Positive66.0%
Neutral11.7%
Negative22.2%

Barnard's Star

All ratings46 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative18.2%

Bugs and requests

PuzzleManiak

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Tangled game sizing issue on iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • MasterMind guesses misaligned with background grid
  • Pattern game elements remain small after update
  • Tents game off-center positioning
  • Untangle nodes have limited range of motion
Show 12 more
  • Sudoku numbers too small to read
  • Control buttons positioned under system UI bars
  • Game crashes when tabbing out of app
  • Online game crashes and network errors
  • Scores and statistics not saving
  • Mines sometimes generate off-screen
  • Minesweeper high scores only showing 1 entry
  • Map game color distinction issues
  • BlackBox game functionality broken
  • Pattern numbers misaligned with boxes
  • Puzzle boards and icons much smaller than before
  • Touch precision issues requiring multiple attempts

Requested features

13 requests
  • Screen zoom functionality
  • Dark mode or customizable color themes
  • Sound effects and audio feedback
  • Better game instructions and tutorials
  • iPad native resolution support
Show 8 more
  • Undo button for all puzzle types
  • Auto screen lock disable for long games
  • Chess game addition
  • Kakuro puzzle type
  • Better color contrast for colorblind players
  • Save game state when switching apps
  • Wiki with solving hints
  • Improved touch target sizes for small puzzles

Barnard's Star

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PuzzleManiak

Subscriptions3
  • One Month Subscription14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • 6 Month Subscription14 Days trial$17.996 Months
  • One Year Subscription14 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

Barnard's Star

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PuzzleManiak free?
PuzzleManiak costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Barnard's Star free?
Barnard's Star costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PuzzleManiak or Barnard's Star?
Barnard's Star is rated higher. PuzzleManiak averages 3.1 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Barnard's Star averages 4.7 from 46 ratings.
Do PuzzleManiak or Barnard's Star have ads?
Neither PuzzleManiak nor Barnard's Star shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PuzzleManiak or Barnard's Star?
PuzzleManiak ships an update every 2 days, and Barnard's Star every 4 weeks. Most recently, PuzzleManiak was updated on October 18, 2026 and Barnard's Star on October 16, 2026.

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