Comparison

MarbleMatch vs The Guides

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

Head to head
About

MarbleMatch

A relaxing puzzle game where players remove adjacent matched marbles to score points. Features multiple difficulty levels, bonus scores for clearing colors or the board, and Game Center integration with achievements. Enjoy easy, casual gameplay.

Highlights
  • Adjacent marble matching
  • Bonus score for clearing colors
  • Bonus score for clearing board
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Game Center achievements
  • Orientation lock option
Features
Read full description

Adjacent matched marbles can be removed, remove as many as you can to get more points. Features: - Multiple orientations support. - Bonus Score when clearing a colour. - Bonus Score when clearing the board. - High score per game difficulty. - Orientation lock option. - 3 difficulty levels. - Game Center support with 15 achievements. Easy relaxing play.

About

The Guides

Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
  • Interactive ciphers
  • Fragmented story to unravel
  • Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
  • Screenshot saving for clues
  • Distress support system
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in: 15 Most Mind-Bending Puzzlers, 15 Most Mysterious Games, The Best Games You’ve Never Played, Challenge Your Brain, Best New Games * * * * * “Best Mobile Games of 2015” — CNET “Best iOS Games of 2015” — Apple ‘N’ Apps “Best One Handed Mobile Games for Long Commutes” — Appcessories * * * * * Consisting of hundreds of extremely challenging codes, puzzles and interactive ciphers, The Guides is a journey that will challenge your wit, stretch your imagination and test your ingenuity in unique and innovative ways. Simply stated, they’re not easy. Progressing will be difficult, but you have the appropriate tools at your disposal. Everything you need to proceed is — or has been — provided. Look for clues and patterns to build on what you have learned. Remember what you have seen as for no detail is too subtle or insignificant. As you explore deeper, you’ll begin to unravel the enigma of The Guides. Peculiar, isn't it? • • • • • • • "From the word 'Go'... it tells you nothing. And you have to work it out for yourself. And that, my friends, that is cool." James Gilmour for App Spy "The Guides gets under your skin... you’ll find yourself thinking about it outside of the game and coming back for more." Jennifer Allen for 148apps "The Guides is one of the year’s most interesting puzzle games. It’s a beautifully designed toy box filled with an enormous variety of code-breaking ciphers and visual riddles..." Owen Faraday for Pocket Tactics "It's brilliant, uncompromising, satisfying, and one of the best games I have ever played on my phone... quite possibly on any platform." chanandler of App Army for Pocket Gamer • • • • • • • • Four Sections and 100 pages embedded with countless challenges. • Meticulously designed interactive puzzles and ciphers with each being more unique than the last. • Piece together the fragmented story to reveal the source of the messages. • Various game mechanics such as the code interface screen and the title bar to provide added layers of support. • Integrated decoding tools — including morse, binary and many more — to assist you on your journey. • Ability to save screenshots to keep track of invaluable clues and notes. • A distress support system is available if you find yourself stuck, but use sparingly, for your transmissions are limited. Official Site: theguidesapp.com General Inquiries: info@theguidesapp.com Twitter: twitter.com/theguidesapp Facebook: fb.com/theguidesapp Instagram: instagram.com/theguidesapp

Screenshots

MarbleMatch4 screens
The Guides4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MarbleMatch at Free against The Guides's $2.99. The Guides's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 44%) and rating (4.8 vs 3.9). On update cadence, 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

MarbleMatch is free to download; The Guides costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Guides holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Guides has 731 ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of MarbleMatch's written reviews are positive against 88% of The Guides's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MarbleMatch ships an update every 2 months, The Guides every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
MarbleMatch versus The Guides: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarbleMatchThe Guides
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.9 (72 ratings)4.8 (731 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews87.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings72731 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMario Couture2 Fountains LLC

Customer experience

MarbleMatch

All ratings72 ratings
Positive69.4%
Neutral13.9%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral18.8%
Negative37.5%

The Guides

All ratings731 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral0.5%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews219 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative8.2%

Bugs and requests

MarbleMatch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

The Guides

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
  • App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles

Requested features

3 requests
  • More frequent updates and new content
  • Improved UI and accessibility options
  • Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling

In-app purchases

None

MarbleMatch

No in-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MarbleMatch free?
MarbleMatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MarbleMatch or The Guides?
The Guides is rated higher. MarbleMatch averages 3.9 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while The Guides averages 4.8 from 731 ratings.
Do MarbleMatch or The Guides have ads?
Neither MarbleMatch nor The Guides shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MarbleMatch or The Guides?
MarbleMatch ships an update every 2 months, and The Guides every 4 months. Most recently, MarbleMatch was updated on June 4, 2026 and The Guides on September 26, 2026.

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