# CloseTheBox vs Shut

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shut at 100% against CloseTheBox's 56%. Shut also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). CloseTheBox's advantage is ratings volume (3.8K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Shut holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CloseTheBox has 3.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of CloseTheBox's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shut's.

CloseTheBox ships an update every 8 months, Shut every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CloseTheBox | Shut |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/closethebox/id493056500/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shut-the-box/id6677000074/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 55.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 32 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Seraphin Hochart](https://appshunter.io/developer/360660892) | [Carson Hellman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767905995) |

## What reviewers say

### CloseTheBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/closethebox/id493056500)

A classic dice game where players roll dice to cover numbered tiles. The goal is to close all nine tiles to "shut the box." Offers realistic 3D dice, satisfying animations, and offline play.

**Highlights:** Realistic 3D dice physics, 9 numbered tiles with animations, Hall of Fame and leaderboards, Help mode for possible moves, Offline play, Universal app support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Fun game
- 🧠 Helps with math skills
- 🕰️ Quick to play
- 🎨 Nice graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚧 Frequent ads
- 🔇 Unable to disable sound
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Inappropriate ads
- 🔍 Difficult to win

**Reported bugs**

- Game not registering valid moves
- App crashes after winning
- Upside-down orientation on some devices

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer mode
- Option to pay for ad-free version
- Ability to change moves
- Rotate screen orientation
- Show scores instead of just win/lose


### Shut

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shut-the-box/id6677000074)

Enjoy the classic dice game on your mobile device. Test your luck and strategy with this portable version of a popular pub game. Perfect for quick play sessions anywhere.

**Highlights:** Portable dice game, Classic pub game experience, Quick play sessions, Dice rolling simulation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CloseTheBox free?

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

### Is Shut free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CloseTheBox or Shut?

Shut is rated higher. CloseTheBox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Shut averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do CloseTheBox or Shut have ads?

Neither CloseTheBox nor Shut shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CloseTheBox or Shut?

CloseTheBox ships an update every 8 months, and Shut every 2 days. Most recently, CloseTheBox was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shut on October 14, 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.*