# Strange Horticulture vs Shift II

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Strange Horticulture at 1.5K against Shift II's 3. Strange Horticulture also leads on chart position (#91 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Shift II's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Strange Horticulture costs $5.99 and Shift II $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Strange Horticulture against 5.0 for Shift II. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Strange Horticulture has 1.5K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Strange Horticulture's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shift II's.

Strange Horticulture ships an update weekly, Shift II every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Strange Horticulture | Shift II |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | [4.9 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strange-horticulture/id6450008138/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-ii/id6479950685/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 75.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#91** | — |
| Size | 522 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Plug In Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/608306412) | [Scenic Route Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/601940834) |

## What reviewers say

### Strange Horticulture

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strange-horticulture/id6450008138)

**Currently charting:** #91 Top Paid · Puzzle, #139 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Manage an occult plant store in a mysterious town. Discover and identify strange plants, using their unique properties to influence an unfolding narrative. Explore the surrounding lands to find new flora and unravel ancient secrets.

**Highlights:** Manage an occult plant store, Discover and identify strange plants, Use plant effects to influence story, Explore surrounding lands, Unravel dark mysteries, Pet your cat

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cozy and relaxing gameplay
- 🧠 Clever and engaging puzzles
- 🎨 Lovely art style and graphics
- 📚 Interesting and well-written story
- 🕹️ Unique and novel gameplay mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (viewing device issues, plant movement problems)
- 🔋 Battery drain and overheating issues
- 📱 Suboptimal mobile experience (small text, lack of Apple Pencil support)
- 🕰️ Short playtime, not much replayability

**Reported bugs**

- Viewing device bug preventing progress
- Plants getting stuck and unable to be moved
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices

**Requested features**

- More content and expanded gameplay
- Shelf/storage option for plants
- Improved mobile optimization (larger text, better controls)


### Shift II

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-ii/id6479950685)

A challenging puzzle game with three distinct modes: managing energy, maintaining streaks, or beating a timer. Upgrade and downgrade tiles to achieve high scores and compete on online leaderboards. Enjoy a meditative experience, except for the frantic mode.

**Highlights:** Three gameplay modes (Calm, Frantic, Tactical), Online leaderboards, Tile upgrading and downgrading, Streak management, Timed challenges, Color themes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Strange Horticulture free?

Strange Horticulture costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shift II free?

Shift II costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Strange Horticulture or Shift II?

Shift II is rated higher. Strange Horticulture averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Shift II averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Strange Horticulture or Shift II have ads?

Neither Strange Horticulture nor Shift II shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Strange Horticulture or Shift II?

Strange Horticulture ships an update weekly, and Shift II every 5 days. Most recently, Strange Horticulture was updated on October 30, 2026 and Shift II on September 18, 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.*