Comparison

Boxed In vs holedown

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

Head to head
About

Boxed In

Embark on a cosmic puzzle adventure as a robotic explorer. Navigate mind-bending challenges by pushing boxes through mesmerizing space backdrops. Strategize to collect gear and outmaneuver forcefields to reach the exit.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of handcrafted puzzles
  • Create and share your own puzzles
  • Play community-created puzzles
  • Optional player rankings
  • Collect gear items
  • Navigate forcefields
Features
Read full description

Embark on an interstellar journey as a cunning robotic explorer in this stellar puzzle adventure! Enter a universe filled with mind-bending challenges, where pushing boxes takes on a whole new dimension. With each level set against a mesmerizing space backdrop, prepare to launch your strategic thinking into orbit! As a clever robot, you'll navigate through hundreds of meticulously designed cosmic puzzles. Push, collect, and outmaneuver the ever-changing configurations of boxes while aiming for the elusive exit. But remember, true mastery lies in acquiring all the gear items scattered throughout the celestial maze. Beware the colorful forcefields that dot your cosmic path! These ethereal barriers demand ingenious solutions. Locate matching floor switches and cleverly employ your box-pushing skills to unlock the way forward. It's a cosmic dance of strategy and logic, where triumph awaits the astute explorer. With its stellar visuals, captivating gameplay, and endless cosmic challenges, Boxed In takes puzzle-solving to new frontiers. Prepare to be astounded by the infinite possibilities in this celestial realm. Strap in, activate your circuits, and let the cosmic puzzle adventure begin! "This game will improve the way your brain thinks. (5/5)" - Becket's Guide to Phone Apps Magazine Features: • Easy to pick up and play anytime! • Play hundreds of handcrafted puzzles! • Create and share your own puzzles! • Play even more puzzles created by the community! • Optional player rankings let you compete! • Original music by Jyri Luukkonen! • Many hours of gameplay!

About

holedown

Dig deep underground by strategically shooting balls to break blocks and reach planet cores. Collect crystals for upgrades and master bouncing patterns in this charming, minimalist game with an original soundtrack. Enjoy hours of gameplay with procedurally generated planets and multiple modes.

Highlights
  • Dig through six planets
  • Collect crystals for upgrades
  • Procedurally generated planets
  • Original space acid soundtrack
  • Endless play mode
  • Intuitive one-handed play
Features
Read full description

Dig deep underground by shooting balls and breaking blocks, traversing your way to the planet cores. With limited shots per round and some blocks fixed firmly to the wall, thoughtfully strategize and aim for maximum impact. Knock down as many blocks as possible while collecting crystals for upgrades and getting deeper beneath the surface. Choose your ideal upgrades such as more starting balls, more shots per round, or storing more crystals, based on your play style and overall strategy. Work your way into the procedurally generated planets with a delightful spectacle of bouncing as you get closer to the planet’s core. Balance your plan between ball bouncing patterns and unpredictable, surprising bounces in this mesmerizing and curious game oozing with charm. Immerse yourself in a world of extravagant minimalistic art while jamming out to an original space acid soundtrack as you feel the satisfaction of digging further underground. Features: • Six planets to dig through • Original soundtrack of seven diverse and space-acid themed tunes • A tight experience with 5+ hours of gameplay’ • Intuitive, one-handed play • Endless play mode • 5 achievements • 11 leaderboards • Split view support • Toggle for screen shake

Screenshots

Boxed In4 screens
holedown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Boxed In at Free against holedown's $3.99. Boxed In also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). holedown's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Boxed In is free to download; holedown costs $3.99 up front. Boxed In sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. holedown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

holedown holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 611 and 399 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Boxed In's written reviews are positive against 72% of holedown's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boxed In ships an update every 2 months, holedown every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Boxed In versus holedown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoxed Inholedown
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.6 (611 ratings)4.3 (399 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews — better71.8% of reviews
Number of ratings611 — better399
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#127 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size235 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDennis Mengeltwebbfarbror AB

Customer experience

Boxed In

All ratings611 ratings
Positive56.6%
Neutral20.0%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral11.4%
Negative14.1%

holedown

All ratings398 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews202 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral14.4%
Negative13.9%

User reviews

Boxed In

From 611 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
  • 🧠 Exercises the mind
  • 🕹️ Simple but addictive gameplay
  • 💰 Great value for free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game freezes or crashes after completing levels
  • 🔇 Lack of sound effects or music
  • 🔍 Difficulty seeing the robot character
  • 🎨 Dislike for updated 3D graphics

holedown

From 399 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Satisfying physics and animations
  • 🎨 Charming visuals and audio
  • 💰 Fair pricing, no ads or IAPs

Room to improve

  • 🔚 Short campaign length
  • 🔁 Lack of replayability after completion
  • 🔇 No option to disable sound effects
  • 🐛 Occasional save data loss

Bugs and requests

Boxed In

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes on certain levels
  • Progress not saved properly
  • Controls not responsive at times

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Option to revert to original 2D graphics
  • Ability to replay completed levels
  • Level editor or creator

holedown

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Save data randomly resets
  • Gameplay freezes after certain actions
  • Sound effects not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planets/levels
  • Diverse block types and gameplay mechanics
  • Ability to skip crystal counting animation
  • Cloud save sync between devices

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Boxed In

One-time7
  • Unlimited Undos$0.99
  • Level Pack 2$0.99
  • Level Pack 3$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Level Pack 1 Unlock$0.99
  • Level Pack 2 Unlock$0.99
  • Level Pack 3 Unlock$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

holedown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boxed In free?
Boxed In is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is holedown free?
holedown costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Boxed In or holedown?
holedown is rated higher. Boxed In averages 3.6 out of 5 from 611 ratings, while holedown averages 4.3 from 399 ratings.
Do Boxed In or holedown have ads?
Neither Boxed In nor holedown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boxed In or holedown?
Boxed In ships an update every 2 months, and holedown every 9 months. Most recently, Boxed In was updated on October 17, 2026 and holedown on October 20, 2026.

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