Pool vs PBA® Bowling Challenge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pool
Experience classic 8-ball pool on your mobile device. Challenge a friend or play solo, aiming to pocket your assigned balls and then the black ball. Enjoy realistic 3D animation and precise aiming hints.
- Single player mode
- Two player mode
- Left and right-handed support
- 3D ball animation
- Aiming hint
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Play 8-ball pool on your mobile device against your friend. The object of the game is to pocket your set of assigned balls (solid or striped) and finally pocket black ball to designated pocket. Game features: - one or two players modes - for left and right hands - real 3D ball animation - hint for precise aiming Good luck and enjoy the game!
PBA® Bowling Challenge
Compete against professional bowlers in realistic 3D matches, from local alleys to national championships. Master your skills in career mode or challenge friends in real-time multiplayer. Unlock new balls and face legendary opponents.
- Career mode
- Real-time multiplayer
- Compete against 24 PBA bowlers
- Over 100 bowling balls
- Dozens of PBA tournaments
- Leaderboards and achievements
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Rise through the ranks against 24 of the PBA’s best bowlers as you compete for a variety of regional and national championship trophies. Starting in a local alley with a scuffed up 12 lb ball, you’ll hone your skills against bowling legends on your way to competing in the Tournament of Champions! Start a career or bowl a quick game! Career mode is at the heart of PBA Bowling Challenge, but if you’d rather just lace up and take to the lanes, we’ve got you covered. Choose from a wide variety of opponents and locations and unlock even more content in Career Mode! Online Multiplayer Action! Bowl against your friends in real-time, one-on-one multiplayer matches! Powered by Game Center services, multiplayer mode lets you invite your friends or get matched against a random opponent! Bowl against the best! How do you think you’d fare against the cool confidence and pin-point accuracy of Walter Ray Williams, Jr. or the brash power stroke of Pete Weber? How would your scores stand up against the high spin and smooth release of Norm Duke or the high cranking backswing of Tommy Jones? Based on actual statistics that track their power, hook, and control, PBA Bowling Challenge strives to accurately recreate the skill and style of the top bowlers in the sport today. Features Include: - Quickplay, Multiplayer, and Career modes! - Dozens of PBA Tournaments! - Bowl against 24 of the best PBA bowlers! - Over 100 different bowling balls with unique stats! - Leaderboards and Achievements. - Bonus challenges in every tournament! - Split Balls, Bomb Balls, and more!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pool at none against PBA® Bowling Challenge's 18. Pool also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (76% vs 62%). PBA® Bowling Challenge's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and chart position 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. PBA® Bowling Challenge sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Pool asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pool against 4.7 for PBA® Bowling Challenge. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72K and 131K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Pool's written reviews are positive against 62% of PBA® Bowling Challenge's.
Pool ships an update every 6 weeks, PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Pool | PBA® Bowling Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (72K ratings) | 4.7 (131K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews — better | 61.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 72K | 131K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #141 | #134 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 143 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vintolo Ltd | Concrete Software, Inc. |
Customer experience
Pool
PBA® Bowling Challenge
User reviews
Pool
From 72K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 No in-app purchases
- 🚀 Simple and fun gameplay
- 🚀 Realistic pool physics
- 🚀 Great way to pass the time
- 👍 No ads
Room to improve
- 🐛 Computer AI cheats or makes unrealistic shots
- 🐛 Inconsistent with real pool rules
- 🐛 Occasional freezing or glitches
- 🔍 Lack of difficulty settings or customization
PBA® Bowling Challenge
From 131K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Best game for stress
- ⭐ Fun and challenging gameplay
- ⭐ Realistic bowling experience
- ⭐ Great graphics and sound effects
- ⭐ Variety of venues and features
Room to improve
- 🙄 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
- 🤔 Tournaments feel rigged at times
- 😒 Progression is too grindy
- 🤯 Frequent bugs and crashes
- 🤬 Loss of progress and saved data
Bugs and requests
Pool
Reported bugs
3 issues- Computer takes turns when it shouldn't
- Cue ball placement issues after fouls
- Balls getting stuck on table edges
Requested features
5 requests- Add online multiplayer mode
- Implement different difficulty levels for AI
- Allow more control over cue ball and shot power
- Include scoring/stats tracking
- Add more table and ball customization options
PBA® Bowling Challenge
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game freezes after watching ads
- Progress and stats randomly reset
- Multiplayer matchmaking issues
- Inconsistent ball behavior and glitches
Requested features
5 requests- Instant replay and save clip feature
- Point difference counter
- One ball roll-off for tied games
- Option to disable crowd noise
- More realistic ball physics and behavior
In-app purchases
Pool
No in-app purchases
PBA® Bowling Challenge
- Lonely Pin Pack$0.99
- Pin Party Pack2 variants$1.99
- DNA Bundle$4.99
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Paragon Pearl Bundle$4.99
- Black Widow 3.0 Bundle$4.99
- Black Widow 2.0 Bundle$4.99
- Plenty of Pins Pack2 variants$4.99
- Dark Side Bundle$4.99
- Hypnotize Bundle$4.99
- Weber Bundle$4.99
- Venom Shock Bundle$4.99
- Pile of Pins Pack2 variants$9.99
- Pin Island Pack$14.99
- Pin Freighter Pack$19.99
- Pin Freighter Pack$24.99
Questions
Is Pool free?
Is PBA® Bowling Challenge free?
Which has better reviews, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
Do Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
Which is more popular, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
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