Manic Marble vs Bust A Marble
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Manic Marble
Guide a marble through challenging 3D levels using your device's motion controls. Tilt and turn to navigate obstacles and beat the clock to unlock new stages. Experience vibrant graphics and an original soundtrack.
- Guide marble through 3D levels
- Tilt and turn controls
- Dodge moving obstacles
- Unlock levels by beating par time
- 3D graphics and physics
- Original soundtrack
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The original Manic Marble is back - with all levels totally free! (If you want even more levels - check out Manic Marble 4- also free!) Guide your marble through six crazy 3D levels, each with its own unique theme. Fly over jumps and dodge moving obstacles by tilting and turning your iPhone. Complete your current level in less than the "par" time to unlock the next one. Features: -Powerful 3D graphics and physics engine provided by SIO2 Interactive -Intuitive accelerometer-based control system -Original soundtrack by Nothing Labs
Bust A Marble
Connect strings of like-colored marbles to clear the board and meet score goals before time runs out. Unlock power-ups with bonus marbles and enjoy dazzling special effects and music. Compete with friends through Game Center achievements.
- Connect like-colored marbles
- Score goals before time runs out
- Unlock power-ups with bonus marbles
- 20 levels of gameplay
- Game Center achievements
- Advanced special effects and sound
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Swipe to connect matching marbles and bust colorful chains in Bust A Marble, a fast, timed puzzle game for iPhone and iPad. Build bigger groups, chase each level's score goal, and keep the clock alive with special marbles. Use clock marbles for extra seconds, unleash lightning to clear more marbles, and refresh the board when you need a new path. Connect seven or more to gain bonus time and raise your score multiplier. THE CLASSIC RETURNS Enjoy Connie's original colorful artwork, lively music, sound effects, and marble-busting action on modern iPhone and iPad screens. TWO WAYS TO PLAY Start in Classic mode with the original marbles and gameplay. The full-game purchase adds Updated mode with refreshed marble styles and a wider board layout. Switch between Classic and Updated in Settings. FEATURES - 20 levels of fast-paced marble matching - Clock, lightning, and refresh bonus marbles - Game Center scores and achievements - In-game tutorial and tips - Separate music, sound, and voice settings - Landscape play on iPhone and iPad FREE TO START Classic levels 1–9 are free. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks Classic level 10 onward and Updated mode. No subscription. Owners of the original No Ads purchase can restore it to unlock the full game at no additional charge. Use Restore Purchases on the MORE... page with the Apple Account used for the original purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Manic Marble at none against Bust A Marble's 2. Manic Marble also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Bust A Marble's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (545 vs 13). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Bust A Marble sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Manic Marble asks for nothing beyond the download.
Manic Marble holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bust A Marble has 545 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Manic Marble's written reviews are positive against 87% of Bust A Marble's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Manic Marble ships an update every 4 months, Bust A Marble fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Manic Marble | Bust A Marble |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (13 ratings) — better | 4.1 (545 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.0% of reviews | 87.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 545 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rich Olson | Fairlady Media |
Customer experience
Manic Marble
Bust A Marble
Bugs and requests
Manic Marble
Reported bugs
15 issues- Controls not sensitive enough
- Controls too sensitive
- Steering sensitivity needs improvement
- Hard to steer on sharp turns
- Doesn't turn when needed
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- Fall is too long
- Weird fart music on levels 3 & 6
- Music on levels 3 and 7 are farting sounds
- Can't get past level one
- Controls are slugish and badly implemented
- Menus and method of getting to levels are terrible
- Graphics can be confusing
- Difficult to differentiate between ramp and obstacle
- Time restraint makes it frustrating
- Game ends abruptly in free version
Requested features
14 requests- More levels
- New themes
- Map maker
- Option to listen to own music
- Reset button
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- Optional time restraint
- Update existing app instead of new version
- Better background graphics
- Ability to change marble designs
- Increase par on each level
- Add break or reverse option
- Better graphics
- Different color marbles with different capabilities
- Expand on current app instead of new app
Bust A Marble
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Manic Marble
No in-app purchases
Bust A Marble
- Full Game Unlock$0.99
- Bust A Marble - No Ads!$0.99
Questions
Is Manic Marble free?
Is Bust A Marble free?
Which has better reviews, Manic Marble or Bust A Marble?
Do Manic Marble or Bust A Marble have ads?
Which is updated more often, Manic Marble or Bust A Marble?
Other comparisons
