# Genius Puzzles vs CastleMAGE

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CastleMAGE at 92% against Genius Puzzles's 63%. CastleMAGE also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (13.1 vs 16.6). Genius Puzzles's advantage is ratings volume (469 vs 6) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Genius Puzzles sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CastleMAGE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

CastleMAGE holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Genius Puzzles has 469 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Genius Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 92% of CastleMAGE's.

Genius Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, CastleMAGE every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Genius Puzzles | CastleMAGE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-puzzles/id545640777/reviews) | **[4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castlemage/id1171058332/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **469** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 63.5% of reviews | **92.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pirate Monkey Studios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/393107357) | [Mike Zriel](https://appshunter.io/developer/419671204) |

## What reviewers say

### Genius Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-puzzles/id545640777)

Engage your mind with over 40 unique logic and brain games in a single app. Enjoy dynamically generated puzzles, expert tips, and offline play. Sync your progress across devices and compete on leaderboards.

**Highlights:** 40+ unique logic games, Dynamically generated puzzles, Expert Pro Tips and guides, Offline play supported, iCloud progress syncing, Game Center leaderboards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Variety of puzzle games
- 🚀 Unlimited puzzles
- 💰 Free with minimal ads
- 🕹️ Intuitive controls
- 🧠 Challenging logic puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs in specific games (Filling, Undead, Pattern)
- 🔍 Unclear instructions for some puzzles
- 🎨 Outdated or unappealing visual design
- 🕹️ Clunky controls (pencil feature, reset button missing)
- 🔄 Inability to see completed puzzle after solving

**Reported bugs**

- Filling game numbers off by 1
- Undead game solutions not following rules
- Pattern game generating unsolvable puzzles
- Puzzle progress not saving/resetting unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Add reset button for puzzles
- Improve pencil/notation functionality
- Provide more detailed instructions for puzzles
- Introduce a hint system or solution viewer
- Add more advanced/larger puzzle sizes


### CastleMAGE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castlemage/id1171058332)

A highly addictive match-3 puzzle game where you combine items to build structures like trees, castles, and farms. Harvest goods and collect gold to cast spells and unlock new items. Experience beautiful 3D graphics as you rise to power.

**Highlights:** Match 3 item progression, Build structures like castles and farms, Harvest goods for upgrades, Collect gold for magic spells, Unlock bigger and better items, Beautiful 3D isometric graphics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000 Goods and 1000 Gold | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Goods and 5000 Gold | $3.99 | one-time |
| 10000 Goods and 10000 Gold | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Genius Puzzles free?

Genius Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CastleMAGE free?

CastleMAGE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Genius Puzzles or CastleMAGE?

CastleMAGE is rated higher. Genius Puzzles averages 4.6 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while CastleMAGE averages 4.8 from 6 ratings.

### Do Genius Puzzles or CastleMAGE have ads?

Both Genius Puzzles and CastleMAGE show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Genius Puzzles or CastleMAGE?

Genius Puzzles ships an update every 3 months, and CastleMAGE every 6 months. Most recently, Genius Puzzles was updated on October 26, 2026 and CastleMAGE on October 24, 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.*