Comparison

Lighter vs GridIQ

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

Head to head
About

Lighter

Experience the most realistic virtual lighter. Customize flame colors, personalize your device with photos, and enjoy interactive features like motion-sensitive flames and concert modes. Perfect for adding ambiance to any occasion.

Highlights
  • Personalize with photos and skins
  • Motion-sensitive flame
  • Concert Mode with music sync
  • Adjustable flame intensity
  • Interactive lid control
  • Candle mode for romantic settings
Features
Read full description

The most realistic virtual lighter: a Zippo that opens, lights and sounds like the real thing, a candle that lights up your screen, and a Concert mode that turns your phone into a light that moves with the music. REALISTIC ZIPPO LIGHTER • Swipe up to open it, swipe down (or shake your phone) to close it. • Tap to light it, with real opening, ignition and closing sounds. • The flame moves and tilts as you move your phone. • 10 flame types: classic, realistic and 8 HD flames (wild, blue gas, golden…). • Resize the flame with + and −, up to almost the whole screen. • Pick the exact color: hue, saturation, brightness and opacity, with live preview, 4 saved colors and a button to go back to the original. • Sparks you can show or hide. • "Flame only" mode: hides the whole interface and leaves just the fire. REALISTIC CANDLE • Tap to light it. • The same flames, colors and sizes as the lighter. • Skins wrapped around the wax so every candle looks different. THOUSANDS OF SKINS • Designs by category: Top, 3D, Animals, Architecture, Art and many more. • For the lighter and for the candle. • Blend modes: Normal, Multiply, Overlay and Soft. • Random skin or no skin at all. • Metallic finish with shine and edges. CONCERT MODE • The screen lights up to the beat of the music picked up by the microphone. • 7 visualizers: Circle, Waves, Bars, Equalizer, Wave, Explosion and Cascade. • Press and hold to turn the light on, release to turn it off. • Choose the light color or let it cycle on its own. • Marquee text with 4 fonts, 4 effects (pulse, bounce, stretch and shake) and preview. • Recognizes the song that's playing and shows its title and artist. • Send the visualizer to your TV via AirPlay or HDMI. • Your music (Spotify, Apple Music…) keeps playing while you use the app. AND MORE • New glass-effect design on iOS 26. • Built-in help for every mode. • In 9 languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Norwegian. • Works on iPhone and iPad. FULL VERSION (monthly or yearly subscription) • No ads. • All HD flames. • All colors. • All Concert mode styles. • Song recognition. Light your lighter, turn off the lights and enjoy the show. Privacy Policy: http://kissappsl.com/pages/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): http://kissappsl.com/terms-of-use/ Unofficial product. Created by KissApp. Not affiliated with Zippo Manufacturing Company.

About

GridIQ

Track your New York Times crossword puzzle performance with detailed analytics. See daily stats, solve trends, and personal records. All your solve history is stored locally for privacy.

Highlights
  • Syncs NYT Crossword solve history
  • Detailed analytics by day of week
  • Personal records tracking
  • Filter by Daily, Mini, or clean solves
  • Browse and search full solve history
  • Weekly performance reports
  • Local data storage for privacy
Features
Read full description

A stats tracker built for avid NYT Crossword solvers. GridIQ connects to your New York Times account and automatically syncs your full solve history, then turns it into the deep analytics the NYT app never gave you. TODAY AT A GLANCE See how today's solve stacks up. GridIQ shows your time, your current streak, and how you compare to your personal best and average for that day of the week. STATS THAT MEAN SOMETHING Average solve times broken down by day of the week Solve trends over time Personal records tracked automatically Filter by Daily, Mini, or clean (gold) solves only YOUR FULL HISTORY Browse every solve you've ever completed. Search by constructor, filter by day of the week, sort by time or date, and tap any entry for a full breakdown — time, clean status, checks and reveals used, and more. WEEKLY REPORTS See how your week shaped up at a glance — total solves, average times, and how this week compared to your recent history. PRIVACY FIRST GridIQ stores everything on your device. No accounts, no servers, no tracking. Your NYT credentials are stored securely in the iOS Keychain and never leave your phone. Export your data anytime as a CSV. How it works: Sign in with your existing NYT account. GridIQ syncs your history directly from the NYT Crossword API and stores it locally. That's it. Note: GridIQ requires an active New York Times Crossword subscription. GridIQ is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times Company.

Screenshots

Lighter4 screens
GridIQ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GridIQ at 100% against Lighter's 47%. GridIQ also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Lighter's advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 4) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. Lighter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. GridIQ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GridIQ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lighter has 1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Lighter's written reviews are positive against 100% of GridIQ's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lighter ships an update every 4 months, GridIQ fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Lighter versus GridIQ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLighterGridIQ
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKISSAPP, S.L.Eric Ribbeck

Customer experience

Lighter

All ratings1,027 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative51.1%

GridIQ

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Lighter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezes and crashes frequently
  • Purchased upgrades not working as intended
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More lighter styles and customization options
  • Ability to control flame intensity
  • Integrate with camera/flashlight

GridIQ

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Lighter

Subscriptions2
  • Lighter Full Version$1.991 Month
  • Lighter Full Version Year$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Version Full Lighter$0.99
None

GridIQ

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lighter free?
Lighter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GridIQ free?
GridIQ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lighter or GridIQ?
GridIQ is rated higher. Lighter averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while GridIQ averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Lighter or GridIQ have ads?
Lighter shows ads; GridIQ does not.
Which is updated more often, Lighter or GridIQ?
Lighter ships an update every 4 months, and GridIQ fortnightly. Most recently, Lighter was updated on November 6, 2026 and GridIQ on October 31, 2026.

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