Comparison

Ripple Effect vs Five Square

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

Head to head
About

Ripple Effect

A logic puzzle game where you fill rooms with numbers according to specific row and column separation rules. It offers over 500 levels across various sizes and difficulties, with features like automatic error highlighting and progress saving.

Highlights
  • Over 500 levels
  • 5 board sizes
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Automatic wrong number highlighting
  • Autosave progress
  • Best completion time recording
  • Game Center Achievements
Features
Read full description

Ripple Effect is a logic puzzle with simple rules. The puzzle consists of a rectangular board divided into "rooms". Each room must be filled with each of the numbers from 1 to the number of cells in the room. If two identical numbers appear in the same row or column, at least that many cells with other numbers must separate them. For example, if two 4s appear in the same row, then they must be separated by at least 4 cells. **** Ripple Effect features **** # Content - 5 different sizes of board - 5 difficulty levels - more than 500 levels # Features - Highlight wrong number automatically - Autosave the process of unfinished levels - Record best completion time for each level # Challenge - Game Center Achievements - Try to complete as many levels as possible

About

Five Square

This card game offers a strategic solitaire experience where all cards are visible from the start. It challenges players to plan and strategize to win, unlike traditional solitaire games that rely heavily on luck. It's designed for thinkers who enjoy puzzles and strategy games.

Highlights
  • Strategic solitaire gameplay
  • All cards visible at start
  • Four difficulty levels
  • Customizable gameplay options
  • Gameplay statistics tracking
  • Universal iOS support
Features
Read full description

~~~ Note: Five Square is a Pay What You Want app. Download it for free and we’ll ask you to pay an amount that feels good after you’ve won a few games. You can also decide not to pay, or pay right away in the app's settings. ~~~ Ever gotten bored with regular solitaire, and all the luck involved in winning? Five Square is different. All the cards are visible at the start of the game, most layouts are winnable, and whether you win is determined almost entirely by how well you strategize and plan. That’s why we call it the Chess of Solitaire. And yet, unlike Chess, the rules can be described in little more than a sentence: ◆ Deal a 5x5 square of cards face up. ◆ Stack cards (or stacks of cards)… ◆ …onto others of the same suit or rank… ◆ …within the same row or column. ◆ Win by getting them all into one stack. That's it! People who enjoy Sudoku puzzles, Chess puzzles, or FreeCell will love Five Square. It's a thinker’s card game. Features: ‣ Four difficulty levels (2 Suit, 3 Suit, 4 Suit, and Challenge mode) ‣ Satisfying, beautiful cards that are a joy to use ‣ Concise How to Play guide with tips on best strategies ‣ Other ways to play (adding Jokers as wildcards or removing Face Cards to make the game easier) ‣ Gameplay statistics (Total Layouts Dealt, Wins, and a “Chess Wins” statistic for games won without restarting the layout or undoing multiple moves in a row) ‣ Customizable app behavior (turn on and off in-game sounds, haptic feedback, and more) ‣ Universal support for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Can you get all the cards into one stack?

Screenshots

Ripple Effect4 screens
Five Square4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Five Square at 5.0 against Ripple Effect's 4.0. Five Square also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Ripple Effect's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 29 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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. Ripple Effect sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Five Square sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Five Square holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Ripple Effect's written reviews are positive against 100% of Five Square's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ripple Effect ships an update every 5 months, Five Square every 29 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Ripple Effect versus Five Square: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRipple EffectFive Square
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 29 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanley LamGeorge Woodliff-Stanley

Customer experience

Ripple Effect

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Five Square

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ripple Effect

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$0.99
5 purchases

Five Square

One-time5
  • Purchase Five Square$0.99
  • Purchase Five Square$3.99
  • Purchase Five Square$8.99
Show 2 more
  • Purchase Five Square$15.99
  • Purchase Five Square$24.99

Questions

Is Ripple Effect free?
Ripple Effect is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Five Square free?
Five Square is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ripple Effect or Five Square?
Five Square is rated higher. Ripple Effect averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Five Square averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Ripple Effect or Five Square have ads?
Ripple Effect shows ads; Five Square does not.
Which is updated more often, Ripple Effect or Five Square?
Ripple Effect ships an update every 5 months, and Five Square every 29 months. Most recently, Ripple Effect was updated on October 1, 2026 and Five Square on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons