# Pipes vs Pipe Pathway

The clearest difference is ads: Pipes at none against Pipe Pathway's shown. Pipe Pathway's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 90%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pipes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pipe Pathway sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pipe Pathway holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 155 and 65 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Pipes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pipe Pathway's.

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, Pipe Pathway every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pipes | Pipe Pathway |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (155 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipes/id296105712/reviews) | **[4.9 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipe-pathway/id1447864469/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **155** | 65 |
| Positive reviews | 90.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Kerley](https://appshunter.io/developer/296105715) | [Jirapong](https://appshunter.io/developer/324437119) |

## 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


### Pipe Pathway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipe-pathway/id1447864469)

Connect rotating pipe pieces to form a complete path. This brain-training puzzle game offers daily challenges and a hint system to guide you through its 400 levels. Enjoy smooth performance and a small file size.

**Highlights:** Daily unique puzzles, 400 puzzles included, Step-by-step hint guide, Automatic connection recommendations, Optimized performance, Small file size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| 10 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| 60 Hints | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pipes free?

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

### Is Pipe Pathway free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pipes or Pipe Pathway?

Pipe Pathway is rated higher. Pipes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while Pipe Pathway averages 4.9 from 65 ratings.

### Do Pipes or Pipe Pathway have ads?

Pipe Pathway shows ads; Pipes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pipes or Pipe Pathway?

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pipe Pathway every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pipes was updated on September 9, 2026 and Pipe Pathway on June 10, 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.*