Comparison

PuzzleManiak vs Pocket8

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

Pocket8

This app brings the PICO-8 fantasy console experience to your mobile device, offering access to thousands of community-made games. Enjoy customizable touch controls or gamepad support, and never lose progress with an instant save system.

Highlights
  • Browse and play community-made PICO-8 games
  • Customizable touch controls and gamepad support
  • Instant save states for unlimited progress saving
  • Portrait and landscape orientation support
  • Locked 60FPS gameplay
Features
Read full description

Experience PICO-8 Anywhere: Pocket8 brings the magic of the PICO-8 fantasy console to your pocket. Whether you’re on a commute or relaxing at home, thousands of indie games are a single tap away. A Massive Library in Your Pocket: Discover thousands of community-made games with integrated BBS exploration. From challenging platformers to relaxing puzzles, there’s always something new to play. Download your favorites and build a personal collection that goes offline wherever you do. Controls That Feel Right: Gaming on a touch screen can be a struggle. Pocket8 features high-precision controls that feel as good as a real handheld. Choose between a classic D-pad or virtual joystick, or swap the face buttons positioning to match your playstyle. Wanna go touch-less? Connect a controller and play with a bluetooth gamepad or keyboard. Play Without Interruption: Instant save system lets you freeze time and jump back in to the exact pixel where you left off. Manage an infinite amount of save states per cartridge. Features: Browse & Play: Explore the Lexaloffle BBS to find and download new games instantly. Pro-Style Controls: Fluid movement and adaptive controls. Gamepad and Keyboard support included. Portrait & Landscape: Play comfortably in any orientation. Save Anywhere: Never lose your progress with instant state saves. Pure Performance: Locked 60FPS gameplay for the ultimate retro experience.

Screenshots

PuzzleManiak4 screens
Pocket84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pocket8 at Free against PuzzleManiak's $0.99. Pocket8 also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Pocket8 is free to download; PuzzleManiak costs $0.99 up front. PuzzleManiak sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Pocket8 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket8 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 40 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PuzzleManiak ships an update every 2 days, Pocket8 daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PuzzleManiak versus Pocket8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuzzleManiakPocket8
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.1 (23 ratings)4.5 (40 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2340 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB24 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAlexandre MinardJevon Lipsey

Customer experience

PuzzleManiak

All ratings23 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative43.5%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral11.4%
Negative21.2%

Pocket8

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

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

Pocket8

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

Pocket8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PuzzleManiak free?
PuzzleManiak costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pocket8 free?
Pocket8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PuzzleManiak or Pocket8?
Pocket8 is rated higher. PuzzleManiak averages 3.1 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Pocket8 averages 4.5 from 40 ratings.
Do PuzzleManiak or Pocket8 have ads?
Neither PuzzleManiak nor Pocket8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PuzzleManiak or Pocket8?
PuzzleManiak ships an update every 2 days, and Pocket8 daily. Most recently, PuzzleManiak was updated on October 28, 2026 and Pocket8 on October 25, 2026.

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