# Zen Pinball vs Visual Pinball

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Visual Pinball at none against Zen Pinball's 10. Visual Pinball also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (79% vs 66%). Zen Pinball's advantage is ratings volume (1.4K vs 74) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Zen Pinball sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Visual Pinball asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Zen Pinball against 4.3 for Visual Pinball. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zen Pinball has 1.4K ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Zen Pinball's written reviews are positive against 79% of Visual Pinball's.

Zen Pinball ships an update every 2 months, Visual Pinball fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zen Pinball | Visual Pinball |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-pinball/id465694275/reviews) | **[4.3 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 74 |
| Positive reviews | 65.9% of reviews | **78.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 73 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 26.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [ZEN Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/413501788) | [Jason Millard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527911552) |

## What reviewers say

### Zen Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-pinball/id465694275)

Experience exciting digital pinball action with a vast collection of original and licensed tables. Enjoy realistic physics, detailed 3D models, and competitive multiplayer modes. New tables are released regularly to keep the fun going.

**Highlights:** Licensed entertainment tables (Marvel, Star Wars, etc.), Original table designs, Realistic 3D models and ball physics, Worldwide leaderboards and friend challenges, Table achievements, Hot Seat multiplayer mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Excalibur Table | $0.99 | one-time |
| Epic Quest Table | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tesla Table | $0.99 | one-time |
| Captain America Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| Wolverine Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marvel's The Avengers Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| The Walking Dead Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| Portal ® Pinball Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| Boba Fett Table | $1.99 | one-time |
| Star Wars: Episode V Table | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent pinball experience
- 🎨 Stunning graphics and animations
- 🎢 Variety of creative and challenging tables
- 💰 Fair pricing for in-app purchases
- ⏱️ Smooth and responsive gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔌 Lack of controller support
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🔍 Difficulty navigating and finding tables
- 🔁 Inability to restore previously purchased tables

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Issues with table downloads and purchases
- Unresponsive controls and flipper issues

**Requested features**

- Add more free or demo tables
- Implement controller support
- Improve table organization and browsing
- Allow cross-platform table transfers


### Visual Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926)

Experience the full virtual pinball simulator with realistic physics, lighting, and sound. This open-source app offers a redesigned interface, enhanced table management, and the complete desktop experience for mobile devices. Enjoy a vast library of tables without ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Realistic physics, lighting, and sound, Redesigned interface with Liquid Glass, Full in-game menu for graphics and controls, Support for various backglass and display types, Easy table import and management, Optimized memory usage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome way to play virtual pinball on the go
- 👍 Super easy to set up with minimal file prep time
- 👍 Insane that I can play favorite pins on just my phone
- 👍 Fantastic portable implementation of VPX
- 👍 Fun and exciting to archive the history of pinball

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 More ability to adjust table settings needed
- 🔧 Struggling to manage camera angle
- 🔧 No fullscreen on iPad, plunger and outlanes cropped
- 🔧 Some tables don't work or have issues

**Reported bugs**

- Tables don't load for some users
- Certain complex/intensive tables error out or run at low FPS

**Requested features**

- List of most played tables
- Ability to reposition DMD
- Option to skip startup checks for some tables
- Ability to edit table scripts on the app
- Direct link to table depository


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zen Pinball free?

Zen Pinball is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Visual Pinball free?

Visual Pinball is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zen Pinball or Visual Pinball?

Visual Pinball is rated higher. Zen Pinball averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Visual Pinball averages 4.3 from 74 ratings.

### Do Zen Pinball or Visual Pinball have ads?

Neither Zen Pinball nor Visual Pinball shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zen Pinball or Visual Pinball?

Zen Pinball ships an update every 2 months, and Visual Pinball fortnightly. Most recently, Zen Pinball was updated on October 29, 2026 and Visual Pinball on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*