# 8 Ball Pool™ vs PBA® Bowling Challenge

The clearest difference is ratings volume: 8 Ball Pool™ at 4.8M against PBA® Bowling Challenge's 131K. 8 Ball Pool™ also leads on chart position (#2 vs #146) and review sentiment (74% vs 62%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 8 Ball Pool™ sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and PBA® Bowling Challenge sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for 8 Ball Pool™ against 4.7 for PBA® Bowling Challenge. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8 Ball Pool™ has 4.8M ratings behind it against 131K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of 8 Ball Pool™'s written reviews are positive against 62% of PBA® Bowling Challenge's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 8 Ball Pool™ | PBA® Bowling Challenge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4.8M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8-ball-pool/id543186831/reviews)** | [4.7 (131K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pba-bowling-challenge/id657459418/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.8M** | 131K |
| Positive reviews | **73.7% of reviews** | 61.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | #146 |
| Size | 212 MB | 143 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +12 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Miniclip SA](https://appshunter.io/developer/337457683) | [Concrete Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290886370) |

## What reviewers say

### 8 Ball Pool™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8-ball-pool/id543186831)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Free · Sports, #5 Top Grossing · Sports, #6 Top Free · Simulation, #14 Top Grossing · Simulation, #43 Top Free · Games, #119 Top Grossing · Games (US App Store)

Engage in challenging 3D pool games against friends and players worldwide. Master your aiming and strategy to win matches, earn coins, and unlock exclusive items. Compete in leagues and tournaments to become a pool master.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer PvP mode, Challenge friends directly, Customize cues and tables, Earn Pool Coins, Compete in leagues and tournaments, Level system for matchmaking

**Features:** iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium Membership | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Golden Spin | $0.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5 Scratch and Win Scratchers | $1.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Cash | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3 Golden Shots | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pool Pass | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent pool simulation
- 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 🌍 Ability to play with people worldwide
- 🏆 Competitive tournaments and leagues
- 💰 Reasonable free-to-play model

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Rampant cheating and use of hacks
- ⚖️ Unfair matchmaking and skill-based pairing
- 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics
- 🐛 Frequent glitches, bugs, and server issues
- 🔍 Lack of effective reporting/moderation system

**Reported bugs**

- Coins disappearing or not being awarded correctly
- Cue sticks and visual elements becoming invisible
- Game freezing or disconnecting during critical moments
- Inconsistent ball physics and unpredictable shot outcomes
- Incorrect scoring and incorrect game outcomes

**Requested features**

- Improved anti-cheat measures
- Skill-based matchmaking system
- Better organization and management of cues/items
- Ability to challenge and play with friends
- More transparent and fair reward/progression system


### PBA® Bowling Challenge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pba-bowling-challenge/id657459418)

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Grossing · Sports (US App Store)

Compete against professional bowlers in realistic 3D matches, from local alleys to national championships. Master your skills in career mode or challenge friends in real-time multiplayer. Unlock new balls and face legendary opponents.

**Highlights:** Career mode, Real-time multiplayer, Compete against 24 PBA bowlers, Over 100 bowling balls, Dozens of PBA tournaments, Leaderboards and achievements

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lonely Pin Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pin Party Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| DNA Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Paragon Pearl Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Black Widow 3.0 Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Black Widow 2.0 Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Plenty of Pins Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Dark Side Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hypnotize Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Weber Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Venom Shock Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Pins Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pin Island Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Pin Freighter Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Pin Freighter Pack | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Best game for stress
- ⭐ Fun and challenging gameplay
- ⭐ Realistic bowling experience
- ⭐ Great graphics and sound effects
- ⭐ Variety of venues and features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
- 🤔 Tournaments feel rigged at times
- 😒 Progression is too grindy
- 🤯 Frequent bugs and crashes
- 🤬 Loss of progress and saved data

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes after watching ads
- Progress and stats randomly reset
- Multiplayer matchmaking issues
- Inconsistent ball behavior and glitches

**Requested features**

- Instant replay and save clip feature
- Point difference counter
- One ball roll-off for tied games
- Option to disable crowd noise
- More realistic ball physics and behavior


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 8 Ball Pool™ free?

8 Ball Pool™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PBA® Bowling Challenge free?

PBA® Bowling Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 8 Ball Pool™ or PBA® Bowling Challenge?

8 Ball Pool™ is rated higher. 8 Ball Pool™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.8M ratings, while PBA® Bowling Challenge averages 4.7 from 131K ratings.

### Do 8 Ball Pool™ or PBA® Bowling Challenge have ads?

Both 8 Ball Pool™ and PBA® Bowling Challenge show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 8 Ball Pool™ or PBA® Bowling Challenge?

8 Ball Pool™ ships an update fortnightly, and PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. Most recently, 8 Ball Pool™ was updated on September 24, 2026 and PBA® Bowling Challenge on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, 8 Ball Pool™ or PBA® Bowling Challenge?

8 Ball Pool™ currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and PBA® Bowling Challenge at #146. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*