PopGroup Lite vs Christmas Drops 5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PopGroup Lite
This game challenges you to pop groups of same-colored bubbles to achieve high scores. Strategic popping is key to forming larger groups and maximizing points. Enjoy a polished experience with customizable settings and online leaderboards.
- Classic 'samegame' puzzle mechanics
- Crystal-clear graphics and animations
- Customizable grid width, height, and colors
- Online high score leaderboards
- No in-app ads or purchases
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PopGroup is a polished version of the classic "samegame" concept invented in 1985 by Kuniaki Moribe. Just pop groups of bubbles that have the same color. Sound easy? It is, unless you want a high score! You have to pop groups in the right order to form bigger groups and get more points. Compare PopGroup to other games based on the same concept: - Crystal-clear graphics - Animations - Customizable width, height, and number of bubble colors - Online high scores - No in-app ads or in-app purchases! PopGroup is made by the developer of tChess (the popular iOS chess app), and Learn Chess (the Apple Staff Favorite e-book).
Christmas Drops 5
A festive match-three puzzle game with increasing difficulty and diverse objectives. Unlock powerful cascades and overcome challenging obstacles in this holiday-themed adventure. Enjoy a full gaming experience with no in-app purchases.
- Christmas-themed match-three puzzles
- Increasing difficulty with obstacles
- Varied level objectives
- Power-up cascades
- No in-app purchases
- Customizable hints, music, and banners
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Christmas Drops 5 - begins as a simple match three board game and gradually increases difficulties as obstacles are added and level objectives becomes more challenging. * Christmas themed match three puzzle * Multifaceted Christmas themed match three adventure * Unrivaled level design, Right amount of level challenges for all ages from 5 to 99. * Create powerful chained power up cascades to level up! * No in-app purchase, one time payment for the whole gaming experience. * Hints/Music/Banners can be disabled. Objectives 1. Score quota 2. Removing dark pulps 3. Bring down candy canes 4. Remove nets 5. Collect angels 6. Matching the Christmas wreath 7. Collect stars 8. Penguin skips 9. Collect orbs 10. Clear frozen tiles 11. Collect Christmas lights 12. Collect toy soldiers 13. Blast off firecrackers Challenges 1. Complete the objective before time runs out. 2. Complete the objective before you ran out of swaps. Obstacles 1. Snowman 2. Drums 3. Ticking Bomb item Featuring 1. Vaulted and keyed items 2. Mystery items Power ups / Special items 1. Santa Claus 2. Ribbon frame 3. Double Christmas item 4. Christmas wreath 5. Last orb 6. Last ice bringer 7. Toy Soldier Auto hints can be disabled/enabled Banners can be disabled/enabled Music and sound can be disabled/enabled
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Christmas Drops 5 at 44 against PopGroup Lite's 1. Christmas Drops 5 also leads on rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). PopGroup Lite's advantage is update cadence (every 25 months vs every 56 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Christmas Drops 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Christmas Drops 5 has 44 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of PopGroup Lite's written reviews are positive against 80% of Christmas Drops 5's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PopGroup Lite ships an update every 25 months, Christmas Drops 5 every 56 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PopGroup Lite | Christmas Drops 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) | 4.2 (44 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 44 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months — better | Every 56 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Kerrigan | ROBERTO MANONGDO |
Customer experience
PopGroup Lite
Christmas Drops 5
In-app purchases
PopGroup Lite
No in-app purchases
Christmas Drops 5
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PopGroup Lite free?
Is Christmas Drops 5 free?
Which has better reviews, PopGroup Lite or Christmas Drops 5?
Do PopGroup Lite or Christmas Drops 5 have ads?
Which is updated more often, PopGroup Lite or Christmas Drops 5?
Other comparisons
