Notakto vs Root Down
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notakto
This strategy game is a twist on Tic-Tac-Toe where the goal is to avoid making three in a row. It offers multiple difficulty levels, from easy to a perfect AI, and allows for multi-board play. Compete in rated matches to climb the ranks.
- Tic-Tac-Toe variant gameplay
- Difficulty levels from Easy to Insane
- Advanced AI for perfect play
- Multi-board play (up to six)
- Rated play for competitive ranking
- Unlockable levels
Read full descriptionHide full description
Simple to learn and hard to master, Notakto is a variation on Tic-Tac-Toe where BOTH players make X's and whoever makes three-in-a-row LOSES. Difficulty ranges from Easy to Insane. At Insane, the computer uses advanced game theory techniques to play a perfect game, so don't make any mistakes if you want to win! Unlock all levels and play on up to six boards at the same time! Choose Rated Play and work toward becoming Notakto World Champion. Reviews: ***** Fun and addictive! - This game is ingenious and fun! ***** Outstanding - Brilliant app. It's amazing how taking away a symbol and reversing the win condition can turn a trivial game into a fiendishly difficult addiction.
Root Down
An original abstract strategy game for two players with unique movement rules. Figure out how to move your pieces to capture your opponent's and win. Offers AI play and pass-and-play modes with variable setups.
- Abstract strategy gameplay
- Unique piece movement rules
- AI opponent
- Pass-and-play mode
- Variable game setups
Read full descriptionHide full description
Root Down is an original abstract strategy game designed by Martin Grider for 2-players. It's rules about which pieces you can move are a little quirky, but once you figure it out, it's very quick to play, and has some interesting gameplay mechanics. In Root Down, you have two types of pieces. There are "kicker" pieces that must be next to a "root" piece to move. (Root pieces cannot move.) Kickers can only move exactly as far as the number of kickers next to the root. After a kicker moves, it "kicks" all of the neighboring pieces, then settles down into a new "root" piece. If you kick one of your own root pieces, it becomes another "kicker"! Kicking an opponent's root does the same, and if you kick it again before it has a chance to move, you'll to capture it! The game features an AI player, as well as pass-and-play options. There are several variable setups to chose from. Each one plays slightly different. Please use the "send feedback" button to send me your input, or email me: rootdown@abstractpuzzle.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Notakto at 5.0 against Root Down's 4.0. Notakto also leads on iOS requirement (6.0 vs 17.4). Root Down's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 86%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Notakto holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Notakto's written reviews are positive against 100% of Root Down's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Notakto ships an update every 22 months, Root Down every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notakto | Root Down |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months — better | Every 27 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Counterwave | Martin Grider |
Customer experience
Notakto
Root Down
In-app purchases
Notakto
No in-app purchases
Root Down
No in-app purchases
