# Cut the Rope vs Hit Shadow !

Cut the Rope and Hit Shadow ! both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% 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.

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 — 4.3 for Cut the Rope against 4.4 for Hit Shadow !. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 836 and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% 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 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cut the Rope | Hit Shadow ! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (836 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cut-the-rope-experiments/id473679806/reviews) | **[4.4 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hit-shadow/id1499529862/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 836 | **3.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **75.4% of reviews** | 20.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 133 MB | 354 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ZeptoLab UK Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/450542236) | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) |

## What reviewers say

### Cut the Rope

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cut-the-rope-experiments/id473679806)

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.

**Highlights:** Innovative physics gameplay, New gadgets and superpowers, Collect gold stars, Unlock new levels, Adorable character, Outstanding graphics

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Superpower 20 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Candies 25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big candies sack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big superpowers sack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all level packs + 100 FREE Candies | $3.99 | one-time |
| Huge candies sack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Huge superpowers sack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Jumbo candies sack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Candies Unlimited | $14.99 | one-time |
| Superpower Unlimited | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Amazing game
- 😊 Cute and fun
- 🧠 Challenging and engaging
- 💕 Love Om Nom

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😩 Too many ads
- 💰 Candy/energy system is frustrating
- 🤬 Subscription model is too expensive

**Reported bugs**

- Levels not saving progress
- Restore purchases not working
- Crashes and freezes on some devices

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Option to remove ads permanently
- Ability to earn more candies/energy without ads


### Hit Shadow !

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hit-shadow/id1499529862)

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.

**Highlights:** Create shadow animals and objects, Dozens of hand shapes, Discover combinations, Perfect finger positioning, Earn animated rewards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and relaxing game
- 👍 Interesting hand shadow concept
- 🎨 Variety of hand shapes and gloves

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive ads after every level
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs (level 97 issues)
- 🤯 Repetitive and limited hand shapes

**Reported bugs**

- Level 97 not functioning properly
- App crashes or freezes on some devices

**Requested features**

- More challenging levels
- Ability to create custom hand shapes
- Reduce frequency of ads


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cut the Rope free?

Cut the Rope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hit Shadow ! free?

Hit Shadow ! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow !?

Hit Shadow ! is rated higher. Cut the Rope averages 4.3 out of 5 from 836 ratings, while Hit Shadow ! averages 4.4 from 3.6K ratings.

### Do Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow ! have ads?

Cut the Rope shows ads; Hit Shadow ! does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cut the Rope or Hit Shadow !?

Cut the Rope ships an update every 4 months, and Hit Shadow ! every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cut the Rope was updated on October 17, 2026 and Hit Shadow ! on October 8, 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.*