Comparison

Bad Apples vs Hocus Puzzle

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

Head to head
About

Bad Apples

A match-3 puzzle game with a fruity twist. Match good fruit while avoiding rotten ones in a never-ending arcade mode or 100 challenging puzzles. Offers strategic gameplay for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Match-3 gameplay with a twist
  • Arcade mode with difficulty levels
  • 100 challenging puzzles
  • Unique shake-to-drop mechanics
  • Leaderboards and achievements
Features
Read full description

Bad Apples is a puzzle game that puts a juicy spin on the popular and classic match-3 genre. Match good fruit, but watch out for bad apples! “Rotten fruit has never tasted so good!” ~AppStruck review Bad Apples includes a never-ending arcade mode with four difficulty levels as well as 100 challenging puzzles. This game will entertain even the pickiest puzzle player! Bad Apples offers hours of strategic gameplay for everyone from puzzle masters to casual gamers. Features: -Match-3 gameplay with a juicy twist! -Colorful characters, both good and evil -Unique shake-to-drop iOS mechanics -Universal app – optimized graphics for every iOS device -Leaderboards and achievements through OpenFeint and GameCenter

About

Hocus Puzzle

Embark on a magical puzzle adventure to restore a dried-up river by mixing potions and casting spells. Explore enchanting worlds, defeat villains, and challenge friends on leaderboards. Collect costumes for powerful advantages in over 200 levels.

Highlights
  • Mix and match potions
  • Cast spells
  • Over 200 spellbinding levels
  • Challenge friends
  • Collect costumes
  • Leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Boil, bubble, toil, puzzle! Join Serena on her spellbinding adventure and discover how to defeat the evil that’s drained the magical river dry. Mix and match potions, cast spells and focus on long paths to increase Serena’s power and help you complete the levels. Challenge friends to see who can get to the top of the leaderboards! Send gifts to give each other a helping hand and collect costumes to gain powerful advantages. THE MOST BEWITCHING PUZZLE GAME • Over 200 spellbinding levels featuring funny characters, cute graphics and exciting worlds to explore • Take on the evil Master Wizard and his fiendish followers including the fierce Yetis of the Frozen Mountains • Complete tasks such as destroying ice blocks on your way to the Giant Canyon and restarting the watermill in the Mad Forest • Easy to learn game mechanics • Hours of entertaining and challenging puzzles Get ready for a magic adventure where the witches bring the environment to life! Want to receive the latest updates? Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/HocusPuzzle Do you have questions or feedback? We would love to hear from you! Visit http://www.hocuspuzzle.com/support or write to us at hocuspuzzle_en@customerservice-bigpoint.com Hocus Puzzle is completely free to play but you are also able to purchase some in-game items for real money. You can turn off the payment feature by disabling in-app purchases in your device’s settings.

Screenshots

Bad Apples4 screens
Hocus Puzzle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Bad Apples at none against Hocus Puzzle's shown. Bad Apples also leads on iOS requirement (4.3 vs 15.0). Hocus Puzzle's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 69%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Bad Apples sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hocus Puzzle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Bad Apples against 4.5 for Hocus Puzzle. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51 and 41 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Bad Apples's written reviews are positive against 93% of Hocus Puzzle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bad Apples ships an update monthly, Hocus Puzzle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Bad Apples versus Hocus Puzzle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBad ApplesHocus Puzzle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (51 ratings)4.5 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews92.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings51 — better41
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS4.3 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB265 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMetaversal StudiosBigpoint GmbH

Customer experience

Bad Apples

All ratings51 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative21.9%

Hocus Puzzle

All ratings41 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews552 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative2.2%

User reviews

Bad Apples

From 51 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Entertaining and relaxing game
  • 💡 Unique twist on match-3 gameplay
  • 🎨 Cute and charming graphics
  • 🕹️ Addictive and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔁 Progress not saved across updates
  • 💰 Paid upgrades required for full experience
  • 🌐 Compatibility issues on some devices

Hocus Puzzle

From 41 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive game
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Challenging but enjoyable gameplay
  • 🕰️ Good time-passer
  • 🎨 Cute and colorful design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Lack of support and explanation for higher levels
  • 🔋 Can be draining on battery

Bugs and requests

Bad Apples

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Levels not clearing properly
  • Arcade mode freezing
  • Achievements/progress reset after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free puzzle levels
  • Ability to save progress
  • Option to disable automatic fruit falling
  • iPad version

Hocus Puzzle

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Lottery wheel not working properly
  • Game freezing during updates
  • Losing progress after updates

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Ability to convert coins to gems
  • Option to disable ads or in-app purchases

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bad Apples

One-time1
  • Ad Removal$0.99
9 purchases

Hocus Puzzle

One-time9
  • Welcome Pack2 variants$0.99
  • Gem Pack n°1$0.99
  • Special Pack 5$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Special Pack 10$1.99
  • Gem Pack n°2$3.99
  • Win The Level$4.99
  • Gem Pack n°3$9.99
  • Gem Pack n°4$16.99
  • Gem Pack n°5$39.99

Questions

Is Bad Apples free?
Bad Apples is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hocus Puzzle free?
Hocus Puzzle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bad Apples or Hocus Puzzle?
Hocus Puzzle is rated higher. Bad Apples averages 4.4 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while Hocus Puzzle averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.
Do Bad Apples or Hocus Puzzle have ads?
Hocus Puzzle shows ads; Bad Apples does not.
Which is updated more often, Bad Apples or Hocus Puzzle?
Bad Apples ships an update monthly, and Hocus Puzzle fortnightly. Most recently, Bad Apples was updated on October 15, 2026 and Hocus Puzzle on October 17, 2026.

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