# Cogs vs Brilliance

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brilliance at none against Cogs's 4. Brilliance also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Cogs's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Cogs costs $4.99 and Brilliance $4.99 up front. Cogs sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Brilliance asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, Brilliance every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cogs | Brilliance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogs/id351841075/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **33** | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 93 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lazy 8 Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/343960331) | [Aniko Farkasne Bangha](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891426520) |

## What reviewers say

### Cogs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogs/id351841075)

A remastered 3D puzzle game where you construct intricate machines using sliding tiles. Explore various game modes, from building step-by-step to timed challenges and move-limited puzzles.

**Highlights:** Build complex machines with sliding tiles, 3D puzzle gameplay, Inventor Mode for learning, Time Challenge Mode, Move Challenge Mode, Remastered for modern devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cogs Puzzle Pack 5 | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Beautiful graphics
- 🤔 Challenging puzzles
- 🎨 Lovely steampunk theme

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔓 Lack of restore purchase option
- 🤏 Not enough free levels
- 🤯 Difficulty spike in paid levels

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes on some devices
- Levels don't load properly

**Requested features**

- Add a reset option
- Provide more free levels
- Improve restore purchase functionality


### Brilliance

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brilliance-catch-the-light/id1615524500)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cogs free?

Cogs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Brilliance free?

Brilliance costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Cogs or Brilliance have ads?

Neither Cogs nor Brilliance shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cogs or Brilliance?

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, and Brilliance every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cogs was updated on October 3, 2026 and Brilliance on September 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*