Comparison

Snowball vs Bix Challenge

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

Head to head
About

Snowball

Guide a penguin on a journey to collect snowflakes and build a giant snowball. Navigate treacherous crumbling floors with simple swipe or tilt controls. Enjoy an ad-free and purchase-free gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Collect snowflakes
  • Build a snowball
  • Crumbling floor mechanic
  • Swipe controls
  • Tilt controls option
  • No ads
  • No in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Snowball is easy to play, but hard to master. Play as a penguin trying to collect enough snowflakes to make his very own snowball, but watch out as the floor crumbles below! Simply swipe to move, or enable classic tilt controls via the options menu. The game contains no ads or in-app purchases. Snowball has been available exclusively for iPhone since 2008.

About

Bix Challenge

Draw shapes to fill a percentage of the screen and trap moving balls. Unleash special powers when you successfully capture them. Compete to see how far you can advance in this engaging puzzle game.

Highlights
  • Draw shapes to fill screen
  • Trap moving balls
  • Unleash special powers
  • Progress through levels
  • Compete with other players
Features
Read full description

A new take on Bix Challenge, the line-drawing arcade classic in the spirit of Qix, Xonix and JezzBall. Draw lines to cut the field, fill it with light and trap the bouncing balls. One rule to master: when you close a line, the side with fewer balls fills up. Easy to learn, fiendishly hard to master. WHAT'S INSIDE • 100 levels across 10 galaxies, each with its own twist: ball traps, line limits, dark zones, time trials, giant balls, ice walls and hunters • The Rift: beat level 100 and a hidden climb opens. How high can you go? • Three stars to earn on every level, chests to open, gold balls to collect • Boosters when you need a hand: Slow start and Shield • Glowing visuals made for today's iPhone and iPad • The original soundtrack, now opening up as you fill the field • Your progress is saved in iCloud and follows you to your other devices • Plays offline THE ORIGINAL, STILL HERE Bix Challenge has been played by over a million people since 2008, reaching #2 in France, #3 in Germany and #4 in the UK. The classic version is still in the app, exactly as you remember it: turn on "Classic version" in Settings.

Screenshots

Snowball4 screens
Bix Challenge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Snowball at none against Bix Challenge's 10. Snowball also leads on ratings volume (185 vs 25). Bix Challenge's advantage is rating (3.4 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 9 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Bix Challenge sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Snowball asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bix Challenge holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snowball has 185 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Snowball's written reviews are positive against 75% of Bix Challenge's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Snowball ships an update every 9 months, Bix Challenge every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Snowball versus Bix Challenge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSnowballBix Challenge
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (185 ratings)3.4 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.3% of reviews74.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings185 — better25
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaul EwersPadadaz

Customer experience

Snowball

All ratings185 ratings
Positive35.1%
Neutral22.2%
Negative42.7%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral13.8%
Negative37.9%

Bix Challenge

All ratings25 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative36.0%
Written reviews306 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative16.0%

Bugs and requests

Snowball

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bix Challenge

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes after completing levels
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Inability to exit ads

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Save progress and resume
  • Landscape mode
  • Sound effects

In-app purchases

None

Snowball

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Bix Challenge

One-time10
  • Handful of Golden Balls$0.99
  • Pouch of coins$0.99
  • Disable Ads$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Pile of Golden Balls$4.99
  • Bag of coins$4.99
  • Bag of Golden Balls$9.99
  • Chest of coins$9.99
  • Chest of Golden Balls$19.99
  • Vault of coins$19.99
  • Treasure of coins$49.99

Questions

Is Snowball free?
Snowball is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bix Challenge free?
Bix Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Snowball or Bix Challenge?
Bix Challenge is rated higher. Snowball averages 2.9 out of 5 from 185 ratings, while Bix Challenge averages 3.4 from 25 ratings.
Do Snowball or Bix Challenge have ads?
Neither Snowball nor Bix Challenge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Snowball or Bix Challenge?
Snowball ships an update every 9 months, and Bix Challenge every 11 days. Most recently, Snowball was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bix Challenge on October 29, 2026.

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