Comparison

Square vs Osmo Newton

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

Head to head
About

Square

This strategy game enhances focus, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving skills for young learners and all ages. Players take turns drawing lines to complete squares, competing against each other or a built-in opponent. Track progress and aim for higher scores in the Hall of Fame.

Highlights
  • 1 or 2-player game play
  • 3 levels of play
  • Audio instructions
  • Player Hall of Fame
  • Colorful graphics
  • Delightful music
Features
Read full description

Square-Off is a strategy game from School Zone that helps with focus, cognitive development, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving skills. It’s great for young learners and fun for all ages! Compete with a friend in two-player mode or play against a built-in opponent. Choose from three levels of play for added challenge. The goal is to complete the most squares. Players take turns placing a line (vertical and horizontal lines only) between adjacent dots. Touch between the dots to add a line. With one-person play, make the first move, and the app’s built-in opponent moves immediately after. The line it adds will continue to blink until your next move. It takes four lines to make a square. Be careful, so your human or electronic competitor doesn’t add the fourth line! An “ownership” icon will appear in each square, depending on who completes the fourth line. The score indicator at the bottom of the screen shows which player’s turn is next. The game continues until all the squares are completed, and the winner is the player with the most squares. Choosing “Play” at the end of a game shuffles the puzzle for a new challenge and the opportunity to improve. Names and scores get tracked in the player Hall of Fame. Beat your last score with the next game, and move up in the ranking! Features: •Audio instructions •1- or 2-player game play •3 levels of play •Colorful graphics •Delightful music •Player Hall of Fame Skills: •visual perception •spatial reasoning •cognitive development •strategy/prediction •problem solving •attention/focus Ages: 4-7 ABOUT SCHOOL ZONE www.schoolzone.com School Zone sparks imagination and nurtures children’s natural curiosity. We offer playful, research-based content, brimming with color, creativity and bonus features. A trusted friend to parents and teachers for more than 30 years, we know how kids learn best. Play together with your kids or turn them loose to explore with confidence--no third-party advertising.

About

Osmo Newton

Engage with creative physics puzzles by drawing or placing physical objects. Guide falling balls into target zones using everyday items. Experience a blend of physical and digital play.

Highlights
  • Draw lines to solve puzzles
  • Place physical objects to interact
  • Guide falling balls into targets
  • Works with everyday items
  • Hands-on learning experience
  • Promotes creativity and problem-solving
Read full description

Solve creative physics puzzles by drawing lines or placing items in front of the screen. Play your favourite Osmo Newton on both iPhone and iPad! Use your iPhone with the "Osmo Base for iPad" which can be found at playosmo.com. * Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 "..games that interact with just about any physical object—pen, paper, blocks, even toys your kids already own. - The Wall Street Journal "This interplay between the physical and digital realms looks and feels like magic." - Forbes "Osmo has been a revolution in our family." - Wired Awarded: **Best Design** - Good Design, 2016 **Best Product Designs** - Fast Company Finalist, 2016 **Innovative Toy of the Year** - TOTY Finalist, 2015 **Best Inventions** - TIME, 2014 Works with any object or drawing – Mom’s keys, hand-drawn basket, even toys you already own. Simply place the object/drawing in front of the screen and manipulate it to guide the falling balls into the target zones. About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

Screenshots

Square4 screens
Osmo Newton4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Osmo Newton at 4.1 against Square's 3.1. Osmo Newton also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 31%) and ratings volume (384 vs 9). Square's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Osmo Newton holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Osmo Newton has 384 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Square's written reviews are positive against 65% of Osmo Newton's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Square ships an update every 7 months, Osmo Newton every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Square versus Osmo Newton: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquareOsmo Newton
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (9 ratings)4.1 (384 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.8% of reviews65.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9384 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB451 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSchool Zone PublishingTangible Play

Customer experience

Square

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral23.1%
Negative46.2%

Osmo Newton

All ratings383 ratings
Positive75.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative17.8%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive65.1%
Neutral9.6%
Negative25.3%

Bugs and requests

Square

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Osmo Newton

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during gameplay
  • Unresponsive app after recent updates
  • Lorem Ipsum placeholder text stuck on screen
  • Achievement page frozen preventing gameplay
  • App incompatible with iPad Air 2 and 11-inch iPad
Show 5 more
  • Camera permission prompt issues on newer iOS
  • Line detection fails to recognize drawings
  • Game slows down significantly with multiple balls
  • App fails to load or gets stuck on loading screen
  • Whiteboard compatibility issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Back/front camera option for better positioning
  • Pause menu functionality
  • More levels beyond the current 61
  • Grid screen option for better line detection
  • Adjustable camera sensitivity settings
Show 3 more
  • Better instructions and tutorial for beginners
  • Start button before gameplay begins
  • Support for older iPad models

In-app purchases

None

Square

No in-app purchases

None

Osmo Newton

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Square free?
Square is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Osmo Newton free?
Osmo Newton is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Square or Osmo Newton?
Osmo Newton is rated higher. Square averages 3.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Osmo Newton averages 4.1 from 384 ratings.
Do Square or Osmo Newton have ads?
Neither Square nor Osmo Newton shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Square or Osmo Newton?
Square ships an update every 7 months, and Osmo Newton every 2 months. Most recently, Square was updated on November 1, 2026 and Osmo Newton on November 6, 2026.

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