Comparison

Pool vs PBA® Bowling Challenge

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Single player mode
  • Two player mode
  • Left and right-handed support
  • 3D ball animation
  • Aiming hint
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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!

About

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.

Highlights
  • Career mode
  • Real-time multiplayer
  • Compete against 24 PBA bowlers
  • Over 100 bowling balls
  • Dozens of PBA tournaments
  • Leaderboards and achievements
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

Pool3 screens
PBA® Bowling Challenge4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PBA® Bowling Challenge sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Pool asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool ships an update every 6 weeks, PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Pool versus PBA® Bowling Challenge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoolPBA® Bowling Challenge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (72K ratings)4.7 (131K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better61.6% of reviews
Number of ratings72K131K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#141#134 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB143 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVintolo LtdConcrete Software, Inc.

Customer experience

Pool

All ratings71,831 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral5.8%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews547 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral9.5%
Negative14.3%

PBA® Bowling Challenge

All ratings130,562 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews536 reviews
Positive61.6%
Neutral10.1%
Negative28.4%

User reviews

Pool

From 72K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

None

Pool

No in-app purchases

15 purchases

PBA® Bowling Challenge

One-time15
  • Lonely Pin Pack$0.99
  • Pin Party Pack2 variants$1.99
  • DNA Bundle$4.99
Show 12 more
  • 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?
Pool is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PBA® Bowling Challenge free?
PBA® Bowling Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
PBA® Bowling Challenge is rated higher. Pool averages 4.6 out of 5 from 72K ratings, while PBA® Bowling Challenge averages 4.7 from 131K ratings.
Do Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge have ads?
PBA® Bowling Challenge shows ads; Pool does not.
Which is updated more often, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
Pool ships an update every 6 weeks, and PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. Most recently, Pool was updated on September 24, 2026 and PBA® Bowling Challenge on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Pool or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
Pool currently peaks at #141 in the App Store charts, and PBA® Bowling Challenge at #134. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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