Comparison

ZenShell vs The Cuties

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

Head to head
About

ZenShell

Test your reflexes and hand-eye coordination with this classic "ball and cups" style game. Catch hermit crabs as they move rapidly under shells. See if your eyes are fast enough to keep up!

Highlights
  • Hand-eye coordination test
  • Classic "ball and cups" gameplay
  • Fast-paced shell following
  • Hermit crab catching
  • Reaction time challenge
Features
Read full description

How fast are your eyes? Are they fast enough to catch hermit crabs and still follow the rapidly moving shells? Test your hand-eye coordination in the form of the classic "ball and cups" game!

About

The Cuties

Engage in a logic puzzle game where you help tiny creatures called Cuties achieve their goal of being the last one standing. Explore over 1000 levels of classic match-3 gameplay, collecting treasures along the way. Train your brain with these charming characters.

Highlights
  • Logic puzzle gameplay
  • Match-3 levels
  • Over 1000 levels
  • Collect gold and gems
  • Train logical abilities
  • Cute creature characters
Features
Read full description

Beyond the mundanity of our world live tiny, furry creatures called Cuties. They never give up and are always striving to better themselves. They value logical thinking and cleverness above all things. The Cuties can always find room in their lives for a good puzzle. In a certain sense, the Cuties' lives are a puzzle. No matter what they might be thinking about, no matter what they might be fantasizing about doing, they always adhere scrupulously to the rules of their game: Rule #1: jump over thy neighbor Rule #2: only one Cutie shall remain And every time they start a game, the Cuties begin recklessly leaping over one another, each hoping to be the one who will remain on the square with the flag. Solving one puzzle after another, the Cuties develop their logical abilities and enrich their collective intellect. Why do they need to do this? Could they have some kind of plan? It's still hard to say, but who knows what they might have in mind? Siberian Adventure Dive into classic match-3 gameplay with lovely Cuties. Save them from snow and collect gold and gems! More than 1000 levels.

Screenshots

ZenShell4 screens
The Cuties4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenShell at none against The Cuties's 13. ZenShell also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 66%). The Cuties's advantage is ratings volume (42 vs 5). On price, rating 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

Both are free to download. The Cuties sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. ZenShell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ZenShell against 4.7 for The Cuties. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Cuties has 42 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of ZenShell's written reviews are positive against 66% of The Cuties's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZenShell ships an update every 2 months, The Cuties every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ZenShell versus The Cuties: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenShellThe Cuties
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better4.7 (42 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better65.6% of reviews
Number of ratings542 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB452 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZ SculptAndrey Kolesin

Customer experience

ZenShell

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

The Cuties

All ratings42 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive65.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

ZenShell

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

The Cuties

One-time13
  • Festival Deal$0.99
  • 20 hints$1.99
  • 65 hints (Special Offer)$1.99
Show 10 more
  • 65 hints$4.99
  • 140 hints (Special Offer)$4.99
  • 140 hints$9.99
  • 145 hints & 2 hours$9.99
  • 300 hints (Special Offer)$11.99
  • Season Pass$11.99
  • 300 hints$19.99
  • 315 hints & 4 hours$19.99
  • 750 hints & 2 days$39.99
  • Ultimate Support$99.99

Questions

Is ZenShell free?
ZenShell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Cuties free?
The Cuties is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ZenShell or The Cuties?
ZenShell is rated higher. ZenShell averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while The Cuties averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.
Do ZenShell or The Cuties have ads?
The Cuties shows ads; ZenShell does not.
Which is updated more often, ZenShell or The Cuties?
ZenShell ships an update every 2 months, and The Cuties every 14 months. Most recently, ZenShell was updated on June 5, 2026 and The Cuties on September 21, 2026.

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