Comparison

Islands in the Stream vs Tiny Ghosts!

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

Head to head
About

Islands in the Stream

A logic puzzle game where you paint grids blue or white following specific island and stream rules. Offers over 500 unique puzzles across three sizes and time trial modes.

Highlights
  • Over 500 unique puzzles
  • 3 different grid sizes
  • 3 Time Trial modes
  • Record best completion times
  • Hint system for uncompleted islands
  • Leaderboards for Time Trial
Features
Read full description

Are you looking for a new challenge? Are you a Sudoku fan? Try Islands in the Stream. This game is a logic puzzle with interesting rules. The challenge is to paint each grid blue or white, subject to the following rules: 1. Each number indicated the number of grids in that island. 2. Each island must contain exactly one numbered grid. 3. There must be only one stream, which is not allowed to contain "pools", i.e. 2x2 area of black cells. ***** Game Features ***** # Content - More than 500 unique puzzles - 3 different sizes - 3 Time Trial modes # Features - Record best completion time for each level - Highlight number if the number of grids matches the number of label - Highlight 2x2 grids - "Hint" shows uncompleted islands # Challenge - Leaderboards for Time Trial - Try to complete as many puzzles as possible in fixed time

About

Tiny Ghosts!

Explore over 100 unique, hand-drawn magical worlds filled with charming details and relaxing brain puzzles. This game offers a stress-free experience with no timers or pressure, perfect for unwinding and gently sharpening your mind.

Highlights
  • 100 hand-drawn worlds
  • 1800 logic puzzles
  • Kawaii art style
  • Offline play
  • No timers or pressure
  • Simple tap-to-place mechanics
Features
Read full description

Hi! We're tiny ghosts and we made a hundred magical worlds just for you to explore! Come visit our haunted airport where ghost pilots fly pastel planes and possessed luggage walks around, relax at our spooky beach with skeleton surfers and glowing tiki bars, explore our enchanted botanical garden with venus flytraps that have googly eyes, or peek into our cozy pizzeria where pepperoni slices arrange themselves into faces! Every single world is a densely packed mural with over 100 charming details, all lovingly hand-drawn by Hana in a beautiful kawaii style. Tiny Ghosts is more than just a puzzle game—it's a relaxing journey through a hundred handcrafted worlds! From haunted hotels to magical bakeries, from mysterious museums to bustling train stations, each themed world is packed with adorable supernatural details waiting to be discovered. The puzzles? They're just your ticket to explore! ### Why You'll Love Tiny Ghosts * **100 Hand-Drawn Worlds to Explore:** Journey through unique themed locations including airports, beaches, hotels, museums, pools, mountains, fairgrounds, train stations, bridges, gardens, space stations, bakeries, campsites, magic shops, farms, toy factories, laundromats, wild west towns, hot springs, bowling alleys, post offices, science labs, supermarkets, construction sites, beauty salons, movie theaters, fire stations, music stores, schools, gyms, aquariums, and countless other magical places! * **1,800 Relaxing Brain Puzzles:** Each world contains 18 carefully designed logic puzzles that gently sharpen your mind. Start easy and gradually discover new challenges as you explore! * **Atmospheric Kawaii Art:** Every background is a complete artistic mural filled with ghost chefs, skeleton shoppers, possessed objects, spectral animals, and adorable supernatural characters. It's like playing through an art gallery! * **Perfect for Travel:** Play offline anywhere—ideal for long flights like San Francisco to Doha, subway commutes, waiting rooms, or unwinding at home. No WiFi required once downloaded! * **Meditative & Calming:** No timers, no pressure, no stress. Take each puzzle at your own pace with unlimited tries. Pure relaxation while your brain gets a gentle workout! ### Features of Tiny Ghosts * **Simple Puzzle Mechanics:** Tap tiles to place cute ghosts that shine light in four directions. Illuminate all the dark tiles using the fewest ghosts possible! * **Sequential World Discovery:** Unlock new themed worlds one by one as you solve puzzles—each location more charming than the last, from haunted campgrounds to elegant opera houses, mysterious crystal caves to bustling hawker centers. * **Helpful Tree Guide:** Our friendly tree companion teaches you the basics with gentle tutorials and encouraging hints when you need them. * **No Pressure Gameplay:** Unlimited tries per puzzle. No countdown timers. No stressful mechanics. Just you, the tiny ghosts, and beautiful worlds to discover. * **Stunning Details:** Over 100 unique elements in every background—ghost pilots, skeleton staff, possessed luggage, animated food, spectral animals, haunted machinery, and countless charming surprises in every scene. ### How to Play * **Tap & Glow:** Touch any dark tile to place an adorable ghost * **Watch the Light:** Ghosts shine beams up, down, left, and right until blocked by seaweed or another ghost * **Solve Strategically:** Light up all tiles using exactly the target number of ghosts * **Discover New Worlds:** Complete 18 puzzles to unlock your next magical destination! ### Start Your Magical Journey! Download Tiny Ghosts today and join us on this atmospheric puzzle adventure. Perfect for puzzle game lovers, brain training enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates beautiful art and relaxing gameplay. We can't wait to explore with you! Privacy Policy: https://redwatermelon.com/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://redwatermelon.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Islands in the Stream4 screens
Tiny Ghosts!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tiny Ghosts! at none against Islands in the Stream's 7. Tiny Ghosts! also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months). Islands in the Stream's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Islands in the Stream sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Tiny Ghosts! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tiny Ghosts! holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Islands in the Stream has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Islands in the Stream ships an update every 5 months, Tiny Ghosts! every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Islands in the Stream versus Tiny Ghosts!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIslands in the StreamTiny Ghosts!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanley LamRahul Biswas

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Islands in the Stream

One-time7
  • 5 Hints$0.99
  • Regular Pack 1 (5x5 to 10x10)$1.99
  • Regular Pack 2 (5x5 to 10x10)$1.99
Show 4 more
  • 7x7 Mania Pack$1.99
  • 10x10 Mania Pack$1.99
  • Unlock All Packs$2.99
  • 20 Hints$2.99
None

Tiny Ghosts!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Islands in the Stream free?
Islands in the Stream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tiny Ghosts! free?
Tiny Ghosts! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Islands in the Stream or Tiny Ghosts!?
Tiny Ghosts! is rated higher. Islands in the Stream averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Tiny Ghosts! averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Islands in the Stream or Tiny Ghosts! have ads?
Islands in the Stream shows ads; Tiny Ghosts! does not.
Which is updated more often, Islands in the Stream or Tiny Ghosts!?
Islands in the Stream ships an update every 5 months, and Tiny Ghosts! every 5 days. Most recently, Islands in the Stream was updated on October 9, 2026 and Tiny Ghosts! on October 28, 2026.

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