Comparison

Dots Classic vs Dots and Boxes

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

Head to head
About

Dots Classic

Relive the classic paper-and-pencil game on your Apple devices. Connect dots to capture boxes and strategically outmaneuver your opponent in fast-paced matches.

Highlights
  • Connect dots
  • Capture boxes
  • Outsmart opponent
  • Quick matches
  • Satisfying gameplay
Features
Read full description

Bring the classic paper-and-pencil game to your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Connect dots, capture boxes, and outsmart your opponent in quick, satisfying matches.

About

Dots and Boxes

Features
Read full description

Dots and Boxes, exactly the way you played it in school. With zero ads, ever. Four opponents that play fair: beginner actually lets you learn, hard wins by strategy, not by magic. When you lose, you'll know why. 100% offline. No account, no subscription, no waiting for opponents that never show up. HOW IT WORKS Draw a line between two dots. Close the fourth side of a box and it's yours, and you go again. Most boxes wins. A grid of dots, just like in your old exercise book. PLAY AGAINST REAL STRATEGY • Beginner: makes mistakes. Perfect for your first games. • Easy: plays solid moves, but doesn't plan ahead. • Medium: knows chains. A fair fight for everyday play. • Hard: plays perfectly, double-cross included. And when it wins, you see why: every sacrifice is marked right on the board. Want to know what the expert would do? The Tactics Coach shows the best move and explains it in one sentence. ONE PUZZLE A DAY The Daily Puzzle: one puzzle per day, the same position for everyone. No server, no account. Generated right on your device. Keep your streak alive, and revisit past days in the archive. TWO PLAYERS, ONE OR TWO DEVICES Pass-and-play on iPhone and iPad: device in the middle, and go. Or play on two devices side by side, connected directly, no internet required. Both need to be in the same room. There is no online play against strangers, and we won't pretend there is. PAY ONCE, HAVE EVERYTHING The full game is a single purchase of $1.99. That's it. Forever. The free version is a real game, not a demo: two-player mode, three computer opponents and the Daily Puzzle, unlimited, no ads. The one-time upgrade adds the hard opponent, large boards, statistics, the Daily Puzzle archive, and the Tactics Coach. No subscription. Nothing expires. Nothing nags. WHAT THIS APP DELIBERATELY DOESN'T HAVE No ads. No subscription. No account. No tracking. No energy system. No daily quests. No online matchmaking, and no waiting for an opponent who never arrives. Just the game. Support: boxly@aid3r.com Privacy in one sentence: this app collects no data, because there is no server.

Screenshots

Dots Classic4 screens
Dots and Boxes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dots Classic at none against Dots and Boxes's 1. Dots Classic also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dots and Boxes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dots Classic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dots Classic versus Dots and Boxes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDots ClassicDots and Boxes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlga Gamesaid3R Core GmbH

In-app purchases

None

Dots Classic

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dots and Boxes

One-time1
  • Boxly Premium$1.99

Questions

Is Dots Classic free?
Dots Classic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dots and Boxes free?
Dots and Boxes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dots Classic or Dots and Boxes have ads?
Neither Dots Classic nor Dots and Boxes shows ads.

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