Comparison

Tricky Gems vs Smiley Chain

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

Head to head
About

Tricky Gems

A fast-paced tile-matching puzzle game where you guide falling gem columns to create matches of three or more. Clear the board, build combos, and climb the leaderboards. Special bomb columns and power-ups add strategic depth to the escalating challenge.

Highlights
  • Tile-matching puzzle gameplay
  • Match lines or diagonals of three or more gems
  • Score points and build combos
  • Escalating difficulty with faster falling columns
  • Special bomb column power-up
  • Unlock 23 achievements
Features
Read full description

Tricky Gems is a fast-paced tile-matching puzzle game for iOS and macOS that will challenge your reflexes and strategic thinking from the very first drop. Guide columns of three gems as they fall into the playing field and match lines or diagonals of three or more to score points. Clear the board efficiently, rack up combos, and climb the leaderboard as high as you can. Every level brings a new challenge — the columns fall faster, the pressure builds, and the background shifts to keep things fresh. At the end of each level, a special bomb column sweeps the field, destroying every gem that matches its color. You can also trigger this power move manually once your Power-up Bar is full. Run out of space and the game ends in a spectacular explosion of bombs. Prove your skills by unlocking all 23 Achievements — some require true mastery of the game. You will need sharp focus, quick reflexes, and a solid strategy to earn the ultimate title: Gem Legend. Good luck!

About

Smiley Chain

A classic falling block puzzle game where players connect groups of four or more same-colored smilies to clear them from the screen. Trigger chain reactions for bonus power-ups and compete for high scores on a global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • Falling block gameplay
  • Connect 4+ same-colored smilies
  • Horizontal and vertical connections
  • Chain reaction bonuses
  • Global leaderboards
  • Classic 8-bit style
Features
Read full description

GAME INTRO ---------------- Smiley Chain is a classic game that has falling group of 2 smilies from top of the screen. The pieces can be moved, dropped, and rotated as they fall. The piece falls until it reaches another smiley or the bottom of the screen. When four or more smilies of the same color line up adjacent to each other, the smiley will connect to each other, blinking and disappear. Smilies of the same color can connect horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. A chain is made when falling smilies cause a new group of smilies to disappear, making a chain reaction. When player made a chain, you will earn a special bonus: Big Eater or Random Brush that will clear a lot of smilies in a extraordinary way. You can compete your score with other playes via leaderboard worldwide. Now go for it and have fun! CREDIT ------------------ + Sounds generated from Bfxr. FAN PAGE ------------------ + Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qastudiosapps

Screenshots

Tricky Gems4 screens
Smiley Chain3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smiley Chain at none against Tricky Gems's 1. Smiley Chain also leads on ads (none vs shown). Tricky Gems's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (48 vs 4). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and device support 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

Both are free to download. Tricky Gems sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Smiley Chain asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tricky Gems holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tricky Gems has 48 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 75% and 75% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Tricky Gems versus Smiley Chain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTricky GemsSmiley Chain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (48 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings48 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMiroslav OtsedarskiQuang Duc Vu

Customer experience

Tricky Gems

All ratings48 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral25.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Smiley Chain

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tricky Gems

One-time1
  • Pro Levels and Remove Ads$1.99
None

Smiley Chain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tricky Gems free?
Tricky Gems is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smiley Chain free?
Smiley Chain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tricky Gems or Smiley Chain?
Tricky Gems is rated higher. Tricky Gems averages 4.2 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Smiley Chain averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Tricky Gems or Smiley Chain have ads?
Tricky Gems shows ads; Smiley Chain does not.
Which is updated more often, Tricky Gems or Smiley Chain?
Tricky Gems ships an update every 4 months, and Smiley Chain every 4 months. Most recently, Tricky Gems was updated on November 1, 2026 and Smiley Chain on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons