# Pipes vs Arcs

The clearest difference is price: Pipes at Free against Arcs's $2.99. Pipes also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Arcs's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Pipes is free to download; Arcs costs $2.99 up front. Pipes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Arcs asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pipes against 4.8 for Arcs. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 155 and 56 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Pipes's written reviews are positive against 85% of Arcs's.

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, Arcs every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pipes | Arcs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (155 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipes/id296105712/reviews) | **[4.8 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcs/id302510211/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **155** | 56 |
| Positive reviews | **90.2% of reviews** | 85.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Kerley](https://appshunter.io/developer/296105715) | [Pomegranate Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/293619496) |

## 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


### Arcs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcs/id302510211)

Engage your mind with a unique circular puzzle experience. Rotate and slide arcs to complete intricate designs, starting simple and progressing to complex challenges. This highly-rated game offers a fun and relaxing way to unwind.

**Highlights:** 100 circular puzzles, Rotate circles and slide arcs, Progressive difficulty, Zen and relaxing gameplay, Assist for colorblind people, New levels added

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pipes free?

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

### Is Arcs free?

Arcs costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pipes or Arcs?

Arcs is rated higher. Pipes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while Arcs averages 4.8 from 56 ratings.

### Do Pipes or Arcs have ads?

Neither Pipes nor Arcs shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pipes or Arcs?

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Arcs every 2 months. Most recently, Pipes was updated on October 15, 2026 and Arcs on October 15, 2026.

---

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