Comparison

Machinarium vs GRIS

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

Head to head
About

Machinarium

Embark on an adventure as a robot named Josef to rescue his girlfriend, Berta, who has been kidnapped by a criminal gang. Explore a unique robot city and solve puzzles to achieve your goal.

Highlights
  • Robot protagonist
  • Story-driven adventure
  • Puzzle solving
  • Unique robot city setting
  • Award-winning visuals
Features
Read full description

Machinarium is the award-winning independent adventure game developed by the makers of Samorost series, Botanicula and CHUCHEL. Help Josef the robot to save his girlfriend Berta kidnapped by the Black Cap Brotherhood gang. "Absolutely Fantastic" - TouchArcade 4/4 - USA TODAY 4/4 - SlideToPlay 9/10 - Pocket Gamer Awards: - IGF, Excellence in Visual Art Award - Gamasutra, Best Indie Game Of The Year - VGChartz.com, Best Indie Game Of The Year

About

GRIS

Guide a young girl through a surreal, faded world as she processes a difficult experience. Discover new abilities that transform her surroundings and unlock new paths. This serene adventure offers exploration, light puzzles, and platforming without danger or frustration.

Highlights
  • Emotional journey through a faded world
  • Unlock new abilities
  • Explore a meticulously designed world
  • Delicate art and animation
  • Elegant original score
  • Light puzzles and platforming
  • No danger, frustration, or death
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities. GRIS is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration or death. Players will explore a meticulously designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible. GRIS is an experience with almost no text, only simple control reminders illustrated through universal icons. The game can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their spoken language.

Screenshots

Machinarium4 screens
GRIS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: GRIS at $4.99 against Machinarium's $9.99. GRIS also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Machinarium costs $9.99 and GRIS $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Machinarium against 4.5 for GRIS. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 992 and 764 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Machinarium's written reviews are positive against 73% of GRIS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Machinarium ships an update every 5 weeks, GRIS every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Machinarium versus GRIS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMachinariumGRIS
Price$9.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.4 (992 ratings)4.5 (764 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.3% of reviews73.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings992 — better764
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#64 — better#127
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size302 MB2.3 GB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAmanita Design s.r.o.Devolver Digital, Inc.

Customer experience

Machinarium

All ratings992 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive69.3%
Neutral9.9%
Negative20.7%

GRIS

All ratings764 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews723 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative18.9%

User reviews

Machinarium

From 992 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork and graphics
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack and sound design
  • 🤖 Cute and engaging main character
  • 🧠 Challenging and rewarding puzzles
  • 👍 Immersive and atmospheric game world

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficulty in seeing small details on mobile screens
  • 🕹️ Clunky or unresponsive touch controls
  • 🤔 Puzzles can be overly obscure or unintuitive
  • 🕰️ Repetitive gameplay in some areas
  • 💤 Slow pacing can feel tedious at times

GRIS

From 764 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Gorgeous visuals and art style
  • 🎼 Beautiful, emotive soundtrack
  • 🧠 Thought-provoking, symbolic story
  • 🕹️ Intuitive, smooth gameplay
  • 🕰️ Relaxing, meditative experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
  • 🎮 Challenging controls, especially on mobile
  • 🔇 Audio issues with screeching sounds
  • 🕹️ Frustrating difficulty spikes in certain areas

Bugs and requests

Machinarium

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Glitches preventing progress in key areas
  • Inconsistent responsiveness of interactive elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Difficulty settings or customization options
  • Ability to skip or bypass certain mini-games
  • Improved save/resume functionality
  • Expanded story or sequel content

GRIS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Character movement issues (getting stuck, unable to move right)
  • Unreliable flying/double-jump mechanics
  • Audio cutting out or glitching

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to skip intro/credits sequence
  • Improved checkpoint/save system
  • Zoom/camera controls for better visibility
  • Optimization for smaller mobile screens

In-app purchases

None

Machinarium

No in-app purchases

None

GRIS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Machinarium free?
Machinarium costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GRIS free?
GRIS costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Machinarium or GRIS?
GRIS is rated higher. Machinarium averages 4.4 out of 5 from 992 ratings, while GRIS averages 4.5 from 764 ratings.
Do Machinarium or GRIS have ads?
Neither Machinarium nor GRIS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Machinarium or GRIS?
Machinarium ships an update every 5 weeks, and GRIS every 2 weeks. Most recently, Machinarium was updated on September 26, 2026 and GRIS on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Machinarium or GRIS?
Machinarium currently peaks at #64 in the App Store charts, and GRIS at #127. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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