Gem Towers vs ZenDots
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gem Towers
A physics-based puzzle game where you strategically break gem towers. The objective is to shatter all green gems while preserving red ones, managing your limited lives. It offers a challenging experience that is simple to learn but difficult to master.
- Physics-based gameplay
- Break green gems
- Save red gems
- Level-based challenges
- Life management system
- Easy to learn, hard to master
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Gem Towers is easy to play but hard to master. See if you can get three stars on each level. Gem Towers is a physics based game that simulates collisions and gravity. The towers are constructed of gems which may vary in size and shape. Your goal is to break all green gems and to save as many red gems as possible. Removing a red gem and gems that go off the platform will subtract one "life". You have 3 lives at the beginning of each level.
ZenDots
Engage in a playful arcade experience combining pinball mechanics with brick breaker challenges. Use flippers to launch a white dot and clear colored dots from the screen without losing your primary ball.
- Pinball-style gameplay
- Brick breaker mechanics
- Clear colored dots
- Avoid losing white dot
- Level-based progression
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ZenDots is a delightfully playful mashup of old school pinball, and classic brick breakers! Take a few minutes to drop some dots! Use the flippers to whack the white dot into the color dots. Let the color dots fall off the screen, without losing your white dot. When all the color dots are gone, the level is cleared!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ZenDots at 93% against Gem Towers's 20%. ZenDots also leads on price (Free vs $0.49) and rating (4.7 vs 3.3). Gem Towers's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads 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
ZenDots is free to download; Gem Towers costs $0.49 up front. ZenDots sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Gem Towers asks for nothing beyond the download.
ZenDots holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZenDots has 179 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Gem Towers's written reviews are positive against 93% of ZenDots's.
Gem Towers ships an update every 37 months, ZenDots fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gem Towers | ZenDots |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.49 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) | 4.7 (179 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | 93.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 179 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 37 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mike Hempfling | Little White Bear Studios, LLC |
Customer experience
Gem Towers
ZenDots
Bugs and requests
Gem Towers
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ZenDots
Reported bugs
5 issues- No videos available for free dots
- App crashes after iOS9 update
- White ball physics feel off/controlled
- Occasional minor glitches
- Addicting but glitchy
Requested features
6 requests- Option for rows or shapes of dots
- Landscape mode
- Option to go back to a certain level
- Add strategy or time-crucial components for more challenge
- Feature to see all collected colored balls
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- Larger white dot
In-app purchases
Gem Towers
No in-app purchases
ZenDots
- 10 dots$0.99
- 100 dots$2.99
- 500 dots$5.99
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- 1,000 dots$8.99
