Comparison

Stardash vs Jailhouse Jack

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

Head to head
About

Stardash

Experience a challenging retro platformer with classic gameplay and vibrant pixel art. Master difficult levels with infinite lives, unlock secret areas, and enjoy an authentic chiptune soundtrack. This game offers a rewarding experience for those who love a good challenge.

Highlights
  • Classic platformer gameplay
  • Challenging levels
  • Infinite lives
  • Unlockable temple levels
  • Flip-mode challenges
  • Retro graphics
  • Original chiptune soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Not just the looks of a classic game, also the gameplay of a classic platformer. This game is NOT EASY! you have an endless amount of lives, so you can quickly restart a level when you miss a jump, get hit by an enemy, get bitten by a plant, get hit by a spiky-ball, crushed by big statues, run onto spikes, get hit by a wasp, or any of the other many ways you’ll get stopped in your run. BUT when you do complete a level, the rush you get will keep you coming back for more, and more, and more, and.. Unlock special temple levels by finding hidden keys, unlock a flip-mode by completing a level both within the time set, and also by collecting all the coins in a level. Stardash is all about the gameplay thrown at you in awesome retro graphics and original chiptunes. ** OTHERS SAY: "all the ingredients needed for platforming excellence" - iFanzine "Orange Pixel nailed everything they were going for in this veritable symphony of old school gaming." - Appolicious "back to my early years, playing my favorite platform games" - unbound gamer "if you’re not gonna grab this, you will miss something truly wonderful" - app-score

About

Jailhouse Jack

Direct your own jailbreak movie, controlling actors and rewinding time to fix mistakes. Experience the thrill of movie making with an innovative timeline feature that makes any error reversible.

Highlights
  • Direct your own jailbreak movie
  • Control actors
  • Roll back time to undo mistakes
  • 70 scenes to direct
  • 3-star ranking system
  • Game Center support
Features
Read full description

Love watching video clips? Love playing games? Now you can do both, SIMULTANEOUSLY! JAILHOUSE JACK is an all-new game innovation from Donut Games, where you get to DIRECT YOUR OWN JAILBREAK MOVIE, direct the actors and even ROLL BACK TIME to undo mistakes. Enjoy all the dynamite exploding fun of real movie making, with one big exception... Any mistake is reversible by a drag on the timeline. Because honestly, time traveling shouldn't be harder than hi-speed scrubbing an online video! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * App Store placements early 2012: ### Top 100 Games USA ### ### Top 100 Games Canada ### ### Top 100 Games Scandinavia ### - "Brilliant, inventive, addictive" - "You'll have a hard time putting your iDevice down" - "Donut Games has done it again" - "iOS Game of the Day" -- MacWorld SE Highlighted in "10 New App Store Games To Watch" by TouchMyApps * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * - 70 Scenes to direct and perfect - Donut Games' famous 3-star ranking system: Increased replay value! - Collectors Icon #30 - Game Center support - Universal App (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch support) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Enjoy another Donut Games release!

Screenshots

Stardash4 screens
Jailhouse Jack2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Jailhouse Jack at 4.3 against Stardash's 3.9. Jailhouse Jack also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 69%) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Stardash's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 17 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Stardash costs $1.99 and Jailhouse Jack $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Jailhouse Jack holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Stardash's written reviews are positive against 84% of Jailhouse Jack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stardash ships an update every 3 weeks, Jailhouse Jack every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Stardash versus Jailhouse Jack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStardashJailhouse Jack
Price$1.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.9 (24 ratings)4.3 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews84.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.08.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB8 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperPascal BestebroerDonut Games

Customer experience

Stardash

All ratings24 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral12.5%
Negative20.8%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral12.9%
Negative17.7%

Jailhouse Jack

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews268 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.9%
Negative10.8%

User reviews

Stardash

From 24 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great retro feel
  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Tight controls
  • 👍 Well-designed levels
  • 👍 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy controls
  • 🐛 High difficulty curve
  • 🐛 Pixel-perfect jumps required
  • 🐛 Inconsistent hit detection
  • 🐛 Stuttering frame rate

Jailhouse Jack

From 9 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 👍 Fun and addictive
  • 👍 Clever and unique gameplay
  • 👍 Challenging puzzles
  • 👍 Rewind feature is useful

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Levels can be too difficult to get 3 stars
  • 🐛 Some levels get boring after a while
  • 🐛 Lack of a skip button for stuck levels

Bugs and requests

Stardash

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Jump button disappeared after update
  • Game crashes on iOS 7
  • Doesn't work with iOS 11
  • Proximity to enemies kills needs work
  • Hit detection is weird
Show 6 more
  • Animation could be smoother
  • Collision detection needs to be tighter
  • Controls broken on iControlPad in iCade mode
  • Crash on launch
  • Frame rate issues
  • Invisible walls for secret areas

Requested features

15 requests
  • Joystick for movement
  • Make Shesan Level 9 easier
  • Update for iOS 11 compatibility
  • Full screen on iPhone 5
  • More sound effects
Show 10 more
  • Character upgradable
  • Make game compatible with 60beat controller
  • Add mega difficulty mode
  • Fix achievements
  • Move OpenFeint logo
  • Rearrange buttons
  • More levels
  • Add color or costume for character
  • Unique control system
  • Flip iPad upside down for headphone jack clearance

Jailhouse Jack

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game shrinking down on iPad Mini
  • Incompatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels and updates
  • Free play mode
  • Additional gameplay modes

In-app purchases

None

Stardash

No in-app purchases

None

Jailhouse Jack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stardash free?
Stardash costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Jailhouse Jack free?
Jailhouse Jack costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stardash or Jailhouse Jack?
Jailhouse Jack is rated higher. Stardash averages 3.9 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Jailhouse Jack averages 4.3 from 9 ratings.
Do Stardash or Jailhouse Jack have ads?
Neither Stardash nor Jailhouse Jack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stardash or Jailhouse Jack?
Stardash ships an update every 3 weeks, and Jailhouse Jack every 17 months. Most recently, Stardash was updated on October 23, 2026 and Jailhouse Jack on October 29, 2026.

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