Comparison

Cogs vs Solitary Confinement

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
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

Solitary Confinement

A minimalist solitaire game designed for quiet, uninterrupted play. Enjoy a pure card-matching experience with no timers, ads, or in-app purchases. Choose from various card designs and layouts for endless solo enjoyment.

Highlights
  • Simple solitaire gameplay
  • Multiple layout shapes
  • No timers or pressure
  • No ads or in-app purchases
  • Unlockable card designs
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Solitaire! In Solitary Confinement. A pure quiet game of solitaire for when you have all the time in the world. No ads. No timers. No coins, boosters, nags, or pop-ups. Just you, your deck of home made cards, and quiet solitude to play. - Simple solitaire, match up or down one rank. - Many layout shapes or pure random Scatter for infinite variety*. - No timers and no pressure. - No ads, no coins, no shop. - Many card designs to choose, all unlocked. - Offline play. - Some fun extras to see. * OK, not infinite, but you'd have to play many lifetimes to repeat.

Screenshots

Cogs4 screens
Solitary Confinement4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Solitary Confinement at Free against Cogs's $4.99. Solitary Confinement also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). Cogs's advantage is ratings volume (33 vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On 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

Solitary Confinement is free to download; Cogs costs $4.99 up front. Cogs sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Solitary Confinement asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solitary Confinement holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cogs has 33 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cogs ships an update every 2 months, Solitary Confinement every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Cogs versus Solitary Confinement: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCogsSolitary Confinement
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (33 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLazy 8 StudiosHeadlight Software, Inc.

Customer experience

Cogs

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

Solitary Confinement

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Solitary Confinement

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Solitary Confinement

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cogs free?
Cogs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Solitary Confinement free?
Solitary Confinement is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cogs or Solitary Confinement?
Solitary Confinement is rated higher. Cogs averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Solitary Confinement averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Cogs or Solitary Confinement have ads?
Neither Cogs nor Solitary Confinement shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cogs or Solitary Confinement?
Cogs ships an update every 2 months, and Solitary Confinement every 5 days. Most recently, Cogs was updated on September 30, 2026 and Solitary Confinement on September 19, 2026.

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