Comparison

9 Holes vs NonoQuest

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

Head to head
About

9 Holes

A strategic card game where players flip and match cards to achieve the lowest score across nine holes. Compete against friends or AI with a visually appealing and easy-to-learn design.

Highlights
  • Strategic card matching gameplay
  • 9 thrilling holes of golf
  • Game Center multiplayer
  • Leaderboards for score tracking
  • AI opponents with varying skill levels
  • Illustrated visual rules guide
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Tee up with cards and challenge your friends! Nine Holes is the classic Golf card game — where every flip, swap, and pair drives your score lower across 9 thrilling holes. HOW TO PLAY Each player receives 8 cards in a grid, face-down. Flip them, swap high cards for low ones, and match pairs to cancel scores. After 9 holes, lowest score wins — just like real golf! Draw from the deck or the discard pile. Matched pairs zero out. Every decision counts — play it safe, or make the risky swap? FEATURES - Multiplayer — Challenge friends online via Game Center or pass-and-play locally - 3 Difficulty Levels — Easy, Medium, or Hard AI opponents. Mix and match in the same game! - 9 Holes — A complete, satisfying round every time - Hole Summary Screen — See exactly how each hole went - Leaderboards — Climb the global rankings and track personal bests - Portrait & Landscape — Play your way; landscape brings back the classic 4-corner layout - Visual Rules Guide — Learn the game in under a minute - Beautiful SwiftUI Design — Fast, clean, and smooth on any device - Zero Ads — No interruptions, ever - Privacy First — We collect zero data WHY NINE HOLES? Nine Holes is the authentic Golf card game — not solitaire, not a puzzle. It's the real thing, played with real opponents (or AI). Originally released in 2012 and rebuilt from the ground up, Nine Holes combines the strategy of card games with the satisfying scoring of golf. PERFECT FOR - Family game night — quick to learn, fun for all ages - Card game fans who want something beyond Klondike or Spider solitaire - Competitive players who love chasing leaderboard scores - Golf lovers who want a card game twist - Anyone who likes casual games with real strategic depth Simple to learn. Hard to master. Endlessly replayable. Love the game? Grab a Donut — our tip jar lets you support indie development, one hole at a time. Download Nine Holes and see if you can go under par!

About

NonoQuest

Embark on a retro-style adventure solving 100 handcrafted nonogram puzzles across ten themed campaigns. Uncover pixel-art scenes and enjoy a guided tutorial, multiple display modes, and offline play with saved progress.

Highlights
  • 100 handcrafted nonogram puzzles
  • 10 themed campaigns
  • Pixel-art scenes
  • Retro display modes
  • Offline play
  • Guided tutorial
Features
Read full description

NonoQuest blends classic picture logic puzzles with a retro handheld presentation and light adventure storytelling. Every puzzle can be solved with logic alone — you never have to guess. Mistakes surface early, and any move can be undone. Travel through 19 themed campaigns and solve 190 handcrafted puzzles from 5×5 to 20×20, including color puzzles where the logic plays out in several colors. The ten pictures of each campaign come together as one large chapter picture. What you get: - 190 handcrafted nonogram puzzles across 19 campaigns - Color puzzles in which every clue number has its own color - A large mosaic picture for every chapter - Up to three stars per puzzle: one for solving it, one for using no help, one for making no mistakes - Hints that explain the next logical step, plus a catalog of techniques with examples - A daily puzzle, the same one for everybody worldwide, with a streak and monthly badges - An endless mode in five grid sizes - An album that keeps every solved picture in view - A guided tutorial for new players - Seven retro display modes inspired by classic hardware - Chiptune music for every campaign; sound is off by default - Offline play with saved progress, no ads and no tracking You can play First Steps, the color campaign Paint Box, the tutorial, the daily puzzle and the techniques without buying anything. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks all other campaigns and endless mode. There is no subscription. If you bought NonoQuest before version 3.0, you get everything without buying again. The game is fully playable with VoiceOver, Switch Control and a keyboard. Every grid cell speaks its position, its state and its clue numbers. Whether you call them nonograms, Japanese crosswords, or picture logic puzzles, NonoQuest focuses on readable controls, satisfying reveals, and a distinct retro atmosphere.

Screenshots

9 Holes4 screens
NonoQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NonoQuest at 100% against 9 Holes's 57%. NonoQuest also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5). 9 Holes's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 1) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. 9 Holes sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and NonoQuest sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NonoQuest holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 9 Holes has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of 9 Holes's written reviews are positive against 100% of NonoQuest's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

9 Holes ships an update every 3 months, NonoQuest every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
9 Holes versus NonoQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter9 HolesNonoQuest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (16 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB13 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperCloudApp IT, LLCTobias Reithmeier

Customer experience

9 Holes

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive56.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative34.8%

NonoQuest

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

9 Holes

One-time3
  • A Donut$0.99
  • Big Donut$2.99
  • Donut Box$9.99
1 purchases

NonoQuest

One-time1
  • Full Game$0.99

Questions

Is 9 Holes free?
9 Holes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NonoQuest free?
NonoQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 9 Holes or NonoQuest?
NonoQuest is rated higher. 9 Holes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while NonoQuest averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do 9 Holes or NonoQuest have ads?
Neither 9 Holes nor NonoQuest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 9 Holes or NonoQuest?
9 Holes ships an update every 3 months, and NonoQuest every 2 months. Most recently, 9 Holes was updated on November 6, 2026 and NonoQuest on October 31, 2026.

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