Comparison

Circular Tic Tac Toe vs Maze Zen

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

Head to head
About

Circular Tic Tac Toe

Experience a unique twist on a classic game with a circular board and multiple winning conditions. Enjoy tactical gameplay against AI or friends, with adjustable difficulty and immersive modes. Includes puzzles and customizable options.

Highlights
  • Circular board with 32 squares
  • Multiple winning conditions
  • Play against AI or human
  • Five difficulty levels
  • 50 puzzles
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Customizable piece appearance
Features
Read full description

A classic game – but far beyond the standard 3x3 game. Games are quick tactical slugfests! Featured in Apple's New and Noteworthy in Strategy Games, and also in What's Hot in both Board Games and Strategy Games The game consists of a circular board divided by a grid into 32 squares. The players place pieces in consecutive turns with the objective being to get four pieces in a row around the circle, four in a line out from the center, or four in a spiral. Features: • Play another human or the computer. • Choose among five levels of difficulty from easy to expert. • All settings are preserved - resume exactly where you left off. • Option to hide the user interface so just the board shows for a fully immersive experience. • 50 puzzles at three levels of difficulty. • At the top level, the computer can find wins 12 moves ahead. • Supports both portrait and landscape modes. • Two choices for the pieces appearance. • Complete documentation. • Fully animated, fluid, and smooth functioning interface. • Very small - only 2.1MB in size. • Loads almost instantly.

About

Maze Zen

Guide a ball through circular mazes by tilting your device. This meditative game encourages focus, mindfulness, and finding inner peace. Unlock wisdom from great thinkers as you progress.

Highlights
  • Tilt-based gameplay
  • Meditative experience
  • Focus and balance training
  • Wisdom from thinkers
  • Mindfulness moments
  • Color mood customization
Features
Read full description

Maze Zen – Find Your Center, Find Yourself Tilt. Glide. Breathe. With every subtle shift of your device, your world slows down, and your focus sharpens. In Maze Zen, the journey is as essential as the destination—a tranquil dance between motion and stillness, where you guide a lone ball to the heart of a circular maze. Like meditation, Maze Zen invites you to silence the noise, draw inward, and awaken the present moment. Each level is a passage not just through the maze, but through your own inner landscape. The twist and turn of the labyrinth mirror the winding paths of life. The ball you guide? A reflection of your mind—restless, seeking, but destined to find its still center. “When the player finds their center, wisdom blooms.” - Autonomous Arriving at the goal, you’re greeted by words of insight from great minds—philosophers, zen masters, and sages—reminding you that truth lies in simplicity. These reflections gently guide you toward clarity and deeper understanding, encouraging you to carry that wisdom into your life beyond the game. The movements in Maze Zen are more than mechanics—they are moments of mindfulness. In the space between tilts, you reconnect with your breath. In the stillness of the center, you glimpse a spark of something profound—a quiet sense of belonging, a reminder that the answers are already within you. Why play Maze Zen? - Experience the calm of a meditative journey anytime, anywhere. - Train your mind to focus and find balance amid chaos. - Unlock profound reflections from the wisest thinkers, one maze at a time. - Evoke a sense of peace and purpose in your daily routine. In a world that rushes, Maze Zen offers pause. In a world full of distractions, it offers focus. And in a world of endless noise, it offers silence. Let go of haste. Embrace the journey. Download Maze Zen today and discover that the act of finding your center—both in the game and in life—may be the truest path toward peace. Your journey to understanding begins with a simple tilt. Will you find your way? ========================================== TIPS - TIP: On Apple Watch, Tinker with the Digital Crown to find your color mood. - TIP: On iPhone, Pinch the screen on iPhone to find your color mood. - TIP: On older Apple Watches, in Apple Watch Settings, enable Wake for 70s for best results and fiddle with the digital crown to keep playing.

Screenshots

Circular Tic Tac Toe4 screens
Maze Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Circular Tic Tac Toe at 86% against Maze Zen's 16%. Circular Tic Tac Toe also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Maze Zen's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 16 months) and ratings volume (79 vs 25). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Maze Zen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Circular Tic Tac Toe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Circular Tic Tac Toe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 79 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Circular Tic Tac Toe's written reviews are positive against 16% of Maze Zen's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circular Tic Tac Toe ships an update every 16 months, Maze Zen weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Circular Tic Tac Toe versus Maze Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCircular Tic Tac ToeMaze Zen
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (25 ratings) — better2.8 (79 ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better15.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2579 — better
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid P. SumnerAutonomous

Customer experience

Circular Tic Tac Toe

All ratings25 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Maze Zen

All ratings79 ratings
Positive43.0%
Neutral3.8%
Negative53.2%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive15.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative82.2%

Bugs and requests

Circular Tic Tac Toe

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Maze Zen

Reported bugs

31 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 15.1
  • Abruptly shuts down and returns to Home Screen
  • Crashes every time the game is opened
  • Kicks user out of the game after completing a level
  • Ball disappears on iPhone due to sharp corners not being displayed
Show 26 more
  • App doesn't open after a few levels
  • Blacks out back to the iPhone home screen
  • Crashes mid-game or on open
  • Takes user to home screen and refuses to restart
  • Fails to load after the third round
  • Crashes on the second maze
  • App won't launch and returns to home screen
  • Crashes after five levels
  • App stops opening
  • Crashes every time after reaching level 4
  • Game aborted and refuses to run after a specific level
  • Watch app has a twisted gyroscope sensor
  • Watch app display turns off after a few seconds
  • Crashes after 3-4 rounds
  • Crashes after level 4
  • Crashes after the 3rd maze and never works again
  • Crashes after 2 levels
  • Crashes after 3 games and won't restart
  • Immediately crashes on iPhone XS Max
  • Crashes after completing the third level and never launches again
  • Blacks out and shuts down after 4 levels
  • Keeps closing as soon as it opens
  • Bombs after the first and second maze
  • Crashes after every first puzzle
  • Ads streaming at the bottom after purchase
  • Paid for an app with ads

Requested features

6 requests
  • Fix crashing issues
  • Add more time to read quotes
  • Allow game reset
  • Improve ball physics and responsiveness
  • Prevent watch display from turning off
Show 1 more
  • Make color changing easier

In-app purchases

None

Circular Tic Tac Toe

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Maze Zen

One-time1
  • Create and Play Community Mazes and Meditations$0.99

Questions

Is Circular Tic Tac Toe free?
Circular Tic Tac Toe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Maze Zen free?
Maze Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Circular Tic Tac Toe or Maze Zen?
Circular Tic Tac Toe is rated higher. Circular Tic Tac Toe averages 5.0 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Maze Zen averages 2.8 from 79 ratings.
Do Circular Tic Tac Toe or Maze Zen have ads?
Neither Circular Tic Tac Toe nor Maze Zen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circular Tic Tac Toe or Maze Zen?
Circular Tic Tac Toe ships an update every 16 months, and Maze Zen weekly. Most recently, Circular Tic Tac Toe was updated on November 1, 2026 and Maze Zen on November 2, 2026.

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