# Pipes vs Shift Light Puzzle

The clearest difference is ads: Pipes at none against Shift Light Puzzle's shown. Pipes also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (90% vs 76%). Shift Light Puzzle's advantage is ratings volume (793 vs 155) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pipes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shift Light Puzzle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pipes against 4.7 for Shift Light Puzzle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shift Light Puzzle has 793 ratings behind it against 155, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Pipes's written reviews are positive against 76% of Shift Light Puzzle's.

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, Shift Light Puzzle every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pipes | Shift Light Puzzle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (155 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipes/id296105712/reviews)** | [4.7 (793 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-light-puzzle/id1003736955/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 155 | **793** |
| Positive reviews | **90.2% of reviews** | 76.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Michael Kerley](https://appshunter.io/developer/296105715) | [Solebon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/836906903) |

## What reviewers say

### Pipes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipes/id296105712)

Connect pipe segments by rotating them to form a continuous flow. This addictive puzzle game offers a variety of board sizes and challenging options. Features like piece locking and auto-save enhance the gameplay experience.

**Highlights:** Randomly generated puzzles, Multiple board sizes, Wraparound option, Piece locking feature, Auto save and resume, Online leaderboard

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Game | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and addictive gameplay
- 👍 No ads, pure gameplay
- 👍 Good for passing time
- 👍 Offline functionality
- 👍 Low battery usage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Not very responsive
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Game freezes on larger phones
- 🐛 Screen sensitivity issues on larger phones
- 🐛 Rotating animation is annoying

**Reported bugs**

- Not very responsive
- Game crashes to Home Screen with recent updates
- Newest version fails to complete correctly
- No longer comes up with the “complete ok” prompt
- No longer has the “new game prompt immediately available to start a new game with the same parameters as the last one

**Requested features**

- Add more levels for gameplay
- Ability to change pipe color
- Remove timer option
- HD version
- Support for Retina display


### Shift Light Puzzle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-light-puzzle/id1003736955)

Rotate tiles to connect power, connectors, and bulbs and make them glow. This puzzle game offers thousands of levels with increasing complexity, including color mixing and wrapping mechanics. Enjoy a relaxing yet challenging experience with a visually appealing interface and sound effects.

**Highlights:** Rotate tiles to connect circuits, Light up all bulbs to win, 3,500+ challenging levels, Color mixing and wrapping modes, Multiple board sizes, Detailed stats tracking

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PREMIUM UPGRADE | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Engaging and challenging
- 💡 Innovative puzzle game
- 🚀 Fun and addictive
- 👍 Enjoyable and gentle
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and compatibility issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Difficulty progression issues
- 👎 Lack of audio options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing on certain devices
- Inability to save progress

**Requested features**

- Ability to specify difficulty level
- Sync progress across devices
- Hints or solutions for advanced levels
- Customizable background music/sounds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pipes free?

Pipes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shift Light Puzzle free?

Shift Light Puzzle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pipes or Shift Light Puzzle?

Pipes is rated higher. Pipes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while Shift Light Puzzle averages 4.7 from 793 ratings.

### Do Pipes or Shift Light Puzzle have ads?

Shift Light Puzzle shows ads; Pipes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pipes or Shift Light Puzzle?

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shift Light Puzzle every 6 months. Most recently, Pipes was updated on October 15, 2026 and Shift Light Puzzle on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*