# Operation Santa vs Christmas Cookie

The clearest difference is price: Christmas Cookie at Free against Operation Santa's $0.99. Christmas Cookie also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 37 months) and ratings volume (979 vs 1). Operation Santa's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Christmas Cookie is free to download; Operation Santa costs $0.99 up front. Christmas Cookie sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Operation Santa asks for nothing beyond the download.

Operation Santa holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Christmas Cookie has 979 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Operation Santa's written reviews are positive against 72% of Christmas Cookie's.

Operation Santa ships an update every 37 months, Christmas Cookie every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Operation Santa | Christmas Cookie |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/operation-santa/id483735912/reviews)** | [4.7 (979 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-cookie-help-santa/id950649714/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **979** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 72.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 37 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 10 MB | 335 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mike Hempfling](https://appshunter.io/developer/422781074) | [RV AppStudios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/340181308) |

## What reviewers say

### Operation Santa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/operation-santa/id483735912)

Help Santa deliver presents by launching them into chimneys. Master power and angle to overcome Christmas obstacles as you progress through increasingly challenging levels. Get the gifts delivered on time!

**Highlights:** Physics-based present launching, Adjustable power and angle, Overcome Christmas obstacles, Multiple challenging levels, Simple tap-and-drag controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Christmas Cookie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-cookie-help-santa/id950649714)

Swap and match festive cookie tiles to create power-ups and clear the board. Complete unique objectives before your moves run out to help Santa prepare for the holidays. Enjoy thousands of levels of crunchy Christmas fun.

**Highlights:** Match Christmas cookies, Complete unique objectives, Create power-ups, Blast through rows, Thousands of levels

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stack Of Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Startup Special Offer: 80% Off | $0.99 | one-time |
| Startup Special Offer: 60% Off | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Chest Of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Piles of Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Holiday Sale - 30% Off | $9.99 | one-time |
| Vault of Coins | $19.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Coins | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable Christmas theme
- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Festive and relaxing
- 👍 Challenging levels
- 👍 Works well offline

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Sluggish and unresponsive graphics
- 💰 Difficulty earning in-game currency
- 📺 Excessive and disruptive ads
- 🔋 Issues with lives/energy system

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashing on launch
- Levels not progressing properly
- Daily gifts/rewards disappearing

**Requested features**

- Ability to pause and replay tutorials
- Landscape mode support
- More frequent content updates
- Improved in-app purchase experience


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Operation Santa free?

Operation Santa costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Christmas Cookie free?

Christmas Cookie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Operation Santa or Christmas Cookie?

Operation Santa is rated higher. Operation Santa averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Christmas Cookie averages 4.7 from 979 ratings.

### Do Operation Santa or Christmas Cookie have ads?

Christmas Cookie shows ads; Operation Santa does not.

### Which is updated more often, Operation Santa or Christmas Cookie?

Operation Santa ships an update every 37 months, and Christmas Cookie every 2 months. Most recently, Operation Santa was updated on November 1, 2026 and Christmas Cookie on November 10, 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.*