# Pipes vs Explode

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Explode at none against Pipes's 1. Explode also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Pipes's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pipes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Explode asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, Explode every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pipes | Explode |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (184 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pipes/id296105712/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **184** | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Kerley](https://appshunter.io/developer/296105715) | [Adem Akan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822827112) |

## 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


### Explode

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/explode-love-story/id6762050457)

**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 Explode free?

Explode is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pipes or Explode have ads?

Explode shows ads; Pipes does not.

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

Pipes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Explode every 11 days. Most recently, Pipes was updated on October 23, 2026 and Explode on October 25, 2026.

---

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