Comparison

Sonority mobile vs POOLS™

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

Head to head
About

Sonority mobile

Embark on a puzzle adventure as Esther, exploring a world where music is magic. Solve intricate puzzles by arranging notes and melodies to overcome obstacles and uncover a touching story. No musical knowledge is required to enjoy this unique experience.

Highlights
  • Unique melody-based puzzle mechanic
  • Touching story with memorable characters
  • Lovingly designed 3D game world
  • Atmospheric soundtrack
  • Collect new notes and instruments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Sonority is an innovative puzzle adventure set in a lovingly designed, fascinating world. Play as Esther and discover the rockery, a place full of music and unique puzzle mechanics. A unique puzzle mechanic using melodies In Sonority the players explore a lost world in which music is magic and with whose help you can progress through the game. The puzzles are solved by the correct arrangement of notes. The solution is deduced acoustically or using symbols. No previous musical knowledge necessary. Story The player takes on the role of young Esther, who sets out on a journey to help a friend. Equipped with her pan flute, she reaches the mysterious rockery. But soon her path is blocked and she must use the power of music to overcome the obstacles. Not always an easy task. In a world lapsed into silence, Esther rediscovers lost songs and mossy works of art. Naturally aided by singing stones and a talking raccoon. Yet there seems to be no trace of the legendary preceptors of music. The further you get, the trickier the game becomes. Collect new notes and instruments to overcome even the most difficult puzzles of the preceptors. Features • Interesting new puzzle mechanic based on melodies. (Simple note sequences develop into small melodies and then into complex pieces of music.) • A touching story about Esther and an old, oddball raccoon and his singing stone friends. • A lovingly designed, cohesive 3D game world with varied locations. • Atmospheric, extensive soundtrack with English and German versions of original songs.

About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

Screenshots

Sonority mobile4 screens
POOLS™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: POOLS™ at 79% against Sonority mobile's 17%. POOLS™ also leads on price (Free vs $3.99). Sonority mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#91 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, 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

POOLS™ is free to download; Sonority mobile costs $3.99 up front. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sonority mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sonority mobile ships an update every 3 months, POOLS™ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Sonority mobile versus POOLS™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonority mobilePOOLS™
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating—4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews78.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—1.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#91 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size557 MB1.9 GB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperApplication Systems Heidelberg Software GmbHTensori

Customer experience

Sonority mobile

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%

POOLS™

All ratings1,616 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews604 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative14.7%

Bugs and requests

Sonority mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

In-app purchases

None

Sonority mobile

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99

Questions

Is Sonority mobile free?
Sonority mobile costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sonority mobile or POOLS™ have ads?
Neither Sonority mobile nor POOLS™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sonority mobile or POOLS™?
Sonority mobile ships an update every 3 months, and POOLS™ every 2 months. Most recently, Sonority mobile was updated on September 16, 2026 and POOLS™ on September 26, 2026.

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