Comparison

Cogs vs Cave Bowling

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

Head to head
About

Cogs

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Cogs is a multi-award-winning puzzle game where players build increasingly complex machines using sliding tiles 3D. Originally launched in 2009, we completely remastered Cogs from the ground up in 2025 to look beautiful on modern phones and tablets. "One of the highest quality puzzle games we've seen." – PocketGamer "The visual design and imagination of the game are stunning, with great attention to detail, and the sound effects are downright enticing." – Adrenaline Vault "A masterpiece visually, as well with the actual gameplay." – AppAdvice INVENTOR MODE Starting with simple puzzles, players are introduced to the widgets that are used to build machines — gears, pipes, balloons, chimes, hammers, wheels, props, and more. TIME CHALLENGE MODE If you finish a puzzle in Inventor Mode, it will be unlocked here. This time, it will take fewer moves to reach a solution, but you only have 30 seconds to find it. MOVE CHALLENGE MODE Take your time and plan ahead. Every tap counts when you only get ten moves to find a solution.

About

Cave Bowling

Experience a prehistoric twist on bowling! Aim your ball through rocky landscapes, avoiding obstacles and ancient creatures to strike the pins and collect bones. Discover multiple solutions for each of the 80 levels.

Highlights
  • 80 prehistoric stages
  • Auto-saving best solutions
  • Fine-adjustable controls
  • 3-star ranking system
  • Multiple solutions per level
  • Collectors Icon #25
Features
Read full description

Striiiiike! Warp back in time and join our forefathers in an exciting game of CAVE BOWLING! Set aim and send the bowling ball flying through rocky landscapes filled with crazy obstacles and prehistoric animals. Can you strike the pins and collect all bones without knocking down the cheerful audience? If you love our other physics-based ball game, Cat Physics, chances are you'll have a blast with Cave Bowling too! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * - "Donut Games rolls another strike" -- TouchArcade - "Game of the day" -- MacWorld IDG.se - "New & Noteworthy" -- Apple, Jan 2011 - "Cave Bowling features original design, mechanics and challenges, something many iPhone games lack these days." -- Gamezebo - "We've basically been at the point where it's safe to just blindly download anything Donut Games releases, and I'm glad to say Cave Bowling continues that tradition." -- TouchArcade * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME FEATURES: - 80 prehistoric stages - Auto-saving feature that records your best solution to each level - Fine-adjustable controls - Donut Games' famous 3-star ranking system - Multiple solutions for each level: Increased replay value - Donut Games' Collectors Icon #25 - And much more... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Enjoy another Donut Games release!

Screenshots

Cogs4 screens
Cave Bowling3 screens

Verdict

The call

Cogs and Cave Bowling both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Cave Bowling's written reviews are positive against 55% of Cogs's. Cave Bowling also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and price ($0.99 vs $4.99). Cogs's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months) and chart position (#156 vs unranked). On rating, ads 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

Cogs costs $4.99 and Cave Bowling $0.99 up front. Cogs sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Cave Bowling 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 Cogs against 4.7 for Cave Bowling. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 108 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Cogs's written reviews are positive against 95% of Cave Bowling's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, Cave Bowling every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Cogs versus Cave Bowling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCogsCave Bowling
Price$4.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.6 (33 ratings)4.7 (108 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.6% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33108 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#156 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLazy 8 StudiosDonut Games

Customer experience

Cogs

All ratings33 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews368 reviews
Positive54.6%
Neutral11.4%
Negative34.0%

Cave Bowling

All ratings108 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews477 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.3%

User reviews

Cogs

From 33 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Cave Bowling

From 108 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🧠 Challenging levels that require strategy
  • 🎨 Charming and humorous visuals
  • 🕹️ Simple and intuitive controls
  • ⏱️ Good time-killer for short breaks

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay after a while
  • 🤯 Some levels are frustratingly difficult
  • 🔊 Annoying character sounds that can't be muted

Bugs and requests

Cogs

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game crashes on some devices
  • Levels don't load properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add a reset option
  • Provide more free levels
  • Improve restore purchase functionality

Cave Bowling

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes or crashes on certain levels
  • Audio cuts out or glitches during gameplay
  • Inconsistent scoring and star ratings

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Ability to skip difficult levels
  • Option to mute or customize sound effects
  • Leaderboards and achievements

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Cogs

One-time4
  • Cogs Puzzle Pack 2$0.99
  • Cogs Puzzle Pack 3$0.99
  • Cogs Puzzle Pack 4$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Cogs Puzzle Pack 5$0.99
None

Cave Bowling

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cogs free?
Cogs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Cave Bowling free?
Cave Bowling costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cogs or Cave Bowling?
Cave Bowling is rated higher. Cogs averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Cave Bowling averages 4.7 from 108 ratings.
Do Cogs or Cave Bowling have ads?
Neither Cogs nor Cave Bowling shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cogs or Cave Bowling?
Cogs ships an update every 2 months, and Cave Bowling every 13 months. Most recently, Cogs was updated on October 17, 2026 and Cave Bowling on October 18, 2026.

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