Comparison

Dots + Boxes vs Dots & Boxes Together

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

Head to head
About

Dots + Boxes

Enjoy the classic pencil-and-paper game of Dots and Boxes on your mobile device. Challenge a friend or play against the AI in this simple yet engaging puzzle game. Track scores and enjoy customizable gameplay with fun graphics and sound.

Highlights
  • One and two-player modes
  • Play against AI
  • Demo mode
  • Configurable player names
  • Score tracking
  • Configurable AI difficulty
  • Undo function
Features
Read full description

Put away your pencil and paper, now you can play the classic Dot Game right on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Dots Free is the highest quality Dots and Boxes game available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and we're giving it away for free. Dots and Boxes is a very simple game. Two players take turns drawing lines between dots on the game board. When a player draws a line that completes a box, the player "owns" that box. Whoever owns more boxes when the game board is full is the winner. Dots Free supports one player and two player gameplay, so you can play against another human or against your iPhone. If you're really bored, you can even put the game in demo mode and watch your iPhone play itself. Dots Free offers a host of exciting features, including: * Killer graphics and awesome sound effects * Configurable player names and score tracking * Configurable 1 player difficulty level * Undo function * Automatic save when you exit the app or receive a phone call Dots Free is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising.

About

Dots & Boxes Together

This app brings the classic pencil-and-paper strategy game to mobile devices. Players connect dots to form boxes, with various game modes and creative twists. Enjoy solo play, local multiplayer, or online matches with friends and family.

Highlights
  • Pass & Play multiplayer
  • Computer challenges
  • Online multiplayer via Game Center
  • Customizable board sizes
  • Daily puzzle challenges
  • Creative board twists and power-ups
  • Undo accidental moves
Features
Read full description

Dots & Boxes Together brings the classic pencil-and-paper game to iPhone and iPad with colorful boards, lively effects, and plenty of ways to play. Draw a line between two neighboring dots. Complete the fourth side of a box to claim it—and keep playing as long as you continue closing boxes. When the board is complete, the player with the highest score wins! PLAY YOUR WAY • Pass & Play with 2–4 players sharing one device • Challenge the computer on Easy, Medium, or Hard • Connect with players on nearby devices • Play live online matches through Game Center • Complete the same Daily Chain puzzle as everyone else CHANGE THE RULES • Classic — Traditional Dots and Boxes gameplay • Line Control — The player who owns the most sides claims the box • Box Blitz — Think quickly while racing your own clock • Box Rush — Compete to finish an identical prepared board first • Quick Mode — Jump into the action with part of the board already drawn ADD SOME SURPRISES • Bonus Boxes award extra points • Mystery Boxes reveal their value when claimed • Hidden Power Dots create a surprise second line • Color Burst boxes reclaim neighboring boxes RELIVE EVERY MOVE Watch a completed game unfold line by line with Game Replay. Pause, scrub through the moves, jump to the ending, or share the finished board as an image. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Player Statistics keep track of games, wins, ties, win rate, boxes claimed, largest chain, favorite color, most-played mode, and fastest Box Rush time. Game Center achievements offer even more goals to pursue. MADE FOR EVERY PLAYER • Built-in How to Play guides explain every mode and board feature • Optional patterns provide another way to distinguish player boxes • System-based Dark Mode looks great day or night • Sound effects, animations, and turn reminders keep everyone involved • Adjustable boards work across iPhone and iPad Easy to learn, surprisingly strategic, and always more fun together.

Screenshots

Dots + Boxes4 screens
Dots & Boxes Together4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dots & Boxes Together at 5.0 against Dots + Boxes's 4.4. Dots & Boxes Together also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Dots + Boxes's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dots & Boxes Together holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dots + Boxes has 2.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dots + Boxes ships an update every 2 months, Dots & Boxes Together weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dots + Boxes versus Dots & Boxes Together: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDots + BoxesDots & Boxes Together
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (2.4K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.4K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCJonathan Shaffer

Customer experience

Dots + Boxes

All ratings2,423 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews784 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.4%
Negative12.1%

Dots & Boxes Together

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Dots + Boxes

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on launch for some users
  • Redirects to App Store unexpectedly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Larger game board sizes
  • Harder difficulty levels
  • Different color options for players
  • Online/multiplayer mode

Dots & Boxes Together

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Dots + Boxes

No in-app purchases

None

Dots & Boxes Together

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dots + Boxes free?
Dots + Boxes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dots & Boxes Together free?
Dots & Boxes Together is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dots + Boxes or Dots & Boxes Together?
Dots & Boxes Together is rated higher. Dots + Boxes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Dots & Boxes Together averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Dots + Boxes or Dots & Boxes Together have ads?
Neither Dots + Boxes nor Dots & Boxes Together shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dots + Boxes or Dots & Boxes Together?
Dots + Boxes ships an update every 2 months, and Dots & Boxes Together weekly. Most recently, Dots + Boxes was updated on October 15, 2026 and Dots & Boxes Together on September 21, 2026.

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