Cut the Rope vs Hit Shadow !
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cut the Rope
Guide a cute monster to eat candy by solving physics-based puzzles. Utilize new gadgets and superpowers to overcome challenges and collect stars. Explore a secret lab with a new scientist character.
- Innovative physics gameplay
- New gadgets and superpowers
- Collect gold stars
- Unlock new levels
- Adorable character
- Outstanding graphics
Read full descriptionHide full description
NOTE: EXPERIMENTS MAY CAUSE CRAVINGS! A mysterious cardboard box lands on the Professor’s desk… and inside is Om Nom, a tiny monster with an enormous sweet tooth! Naturally, the Professor can’t resist turning this discovery into a series of candy-fueled experiments — and now you get to join the fun. Step into a bustling lab packed with physics-based puzzles. Use rockets, magnets, electricity, ropes, tension, suction cups, water mechanics, robotic arms, ant colonies, and more ingenious contraptions. Your mission sounds simple — get the candy to Om Nom — but each puzzle will test your wits in surprising ways! WHY PLAYERS CAN’T STOP PLAYING: • 200 cleverly designed physics puzzles across 8 inventive level packs • A playful toolbox of gadgets and superpowers to crack tricky challenges • Collect shiny stars, uncover hidden treasures, and unlock bonus levels • Charming animations and cutscenes that bring the Professor’s lab to life • Perfect for fans of logic puzzles, single-player challenges, and clever physics fun Think smart, experiment boldly, and keep Om Nom well-fed in this addictive puzzle adventure. Every level offers a fresh opportunity to test your logic, timing, and creativity in a lab full of delightful surprises! Cut the Rope: Experiments is free to download and play, however, some in-game items can be purchased for real money, including randomised items. For more information, please see our Terms of Use (https://www.zeptolab.com/terms) and Privacy Policy (https://www.zeptolab.com/privacy).
Hit Shadow !
Create fun shadow puppets with your hands to mimic animals and objects. Explore numerous hand shapes and combinations to bring your shadow creations to life and earn rewards.
- Create shadow animals and objects
- Dozens of hand shapes
- Discover combinations
- Perfect finger positioning
- Earn animated rewards
Read full descriptionHide full description
Discover many animals and objects in this new-style "Chinese shadow" game, and watch them come alive! - Use dozen of different hand shapes. - Discover a lot of combinations to give life to shadows of exotic animals! - Try to perfect match your fingers position - Earn more points and get an animated reward!
Screenshots
Verdict
Cut the Rope and Hit Shadow ! both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Cut the Rope's written reviews are positive against 21% of Hit Shadow !'s. Hit Shadow !'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Cut the Rope sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Hit Shadow ! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Cut the Rope against 4.4 for Hit Shadow !. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 834 and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Cut the Rope's written reviews are positive against 21% of Hit Shadow !'s.
Cut the Rope ships an update every 4 months, Hit Shadow ! every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cut the Rope | Hit Shadow ! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (834 ratings) | 4.4 (3.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.5% of reviews — better | 20.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 834 | 3.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 354 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ZeptoLab UK Limited | Ketchapp |
Customer experience
Cut the Rope
Hit Shadow !
User reviews
Cut the Rope
From 834 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Amazing game
- 😊 Cute and fun
- 🧠 Challenging and engaging
- 💕 Love Om Nom
Room to improve
- 😩 Too many ads
- 💰 Candy/energy system is frustrating
- 🤬 Subscription model is too expensive
Hit Shadow !
From 3.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Fun and relaxing game
- 👍 Interesting hand shadow concept
- 🎨 Variety of hand shapes and gloves
Room to improve
- 🤬 Excessive ads after every level
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs (level 97 issues)
- 🤯 Repetitive and limited hand shapes
Bugs and requests
Cut the Rope
Reported bugs
3 issues- Levels not saving progress
- Restore purchases not working
- Crashes and freezes on some devices
Requested features
3 requests- More levels and content
- Option to remove ads permanently
- Ability to earn more candies/energy without ads
Hit Shadow !
Reported bugs
2 issues- Level 97 not functioning properly
- App crashes or freezes on some devices
Requested features
3 requests- More challenging levels
- Ability to create custom hand shapes
- Reduce frequency of ads
In-app purchases
Cut the Rope
- Superpower 20$1.99
- Candies 25$1.99
- Big candies sack$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Big superpowers sack$1.99
- Unlock all level packs + 100 FREE Candies$3.99
- Huge candies sack$3.99
- Huge superpowers sack$3.99
- Jumbo candies sack$7.99
- Candies Unlimited$14.99
- Superpower Unlimited$24.99
Hit Shadow !
- Remove Ads$2.99
Questions
Is Cut the Rope free?
Is Hit Shadow ! free?
Which has better reviews, Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow !?
Do Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow ! have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow !?
Other comparisons















