Comparison

Cogs vs Mind the Signal

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

Mind the Signal

A word puzzle game where you repair damaged words by selecting glyphs before a signal fades. Offers timed challenges, untimed practice, and daily puzzles with leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Repair damaged words with glyphs
  • Timed signal loss challenges
  • Untimed practice mode
  • Daily shared puzzles
  • Ranked leaderboards
  • Visual customization options
Features
Read full description

Four damaged words. Seven glyphs. One signal rapidly disappearing into static. Mind the Signal is a tactile word puzzle built into a pocket-sized communications receiver inspired by the wonderfully overcomplicated technology of the 1980s. Select a glyph. Patch a missing letter. Lock the word. Complete three five-lock segments before the transmission is lost. Simple in theory. So was setting the clock on a VCR. INTERCEPT The carrier is fading and signal strength is always falling. Correctly completed words recover it. Wrong placements add interference. Let the signal reach 0% and the transmission is lost! OPEN CHANNEL The same word-repair system without signal loss. Work at your own pace, recover themed transmissions, and operate an unreasonable number of illuminated controls without an immediate communications emergency. DAILY One shared 15-lock transmission every day. One ranked attempt. No hints. No signal restores. Completion time posts to Game Center, where the permanent record of your radio-operating competence is available for public inspection. RECEIVER SPECIFICATIONS - Four damaged words displayed simultaneously - A seven-glyph repair tray containing answers and decoys - Themed transmissions to recover - Three archive fidelity levels: Recovered, Verified, and Mastered - Ranked Daily play, followed by unranked practice - A persistent archive tracking every recovered signal - Tons of visual customization to fine-tune the receiver to your specifications Mind the Signal is free to play. Optional rewarded ads can bank hints or restore a failed signal. Occasional interstitials appear between rounds. Turns out that communications infrastructure is not free. The one-time Operator Upgrade removes every ad, starts each new Intercept or Open Channel with up to four hints, makes the once-per-run Intercept restore immediate, and expands receiver customization to 100 style combinations The words are incomplete. The carrier is fading. You are now on shift.

Screenshots

Cogs4 screens
Mind the Signal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mind the Signal at 100% against Cogs's 55%. Mind the Signal also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Cogs's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#148 vs unranked). On in-app purchases 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

Mind the Signal is free to download; Cogs costs $4.99 up front. Cogs sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Mind the Signal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mind the Signal 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 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Cogs's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mind the Signal's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Cogs versus Mind the Signal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCogsMind the Signal
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (33 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#148 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLazy 8 StudiosMind Wasted

Customer experience

Cogs

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

Mind the Signal

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Mind the Signal

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
1 purchases

Mind the Signal

One-time1
  • Operator Upgrade$2.99

Questions

Is Cogs free?
Cogs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Mind the Signal free?
Mind the Signal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cogs or Mind the Signal?
Mind the Signal is rated higher. Cogs averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Mind the Signal averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Cogs or Mind the Signal have ads?
Mind the Signal shows ads; Cogs does not.

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