Comparison

Dark Notes vs IQ Horror Rule

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

Head to head
About

Dark Notes

Explore a dark mystery and puzzle adventure across time and space. Unravel secrets from dual perspectives, solve challenging puzzles, and experience a gripping narrative in a realistic, immersive environment.

Highlights
  • Dual-protagonist perspective
  • Time and space exploration
  • Multiple versions of truth
  • Challenging puzzles
  • Realistic graphic style
  • Immersive atmosphere
Features
Read full description

A notebook that transcends the space and time. An adventure full of thrills. A meticulously arranged mystery. A flawless lie. The truth serves as the riddle, and the motive is the answer. You fall into the trap the moment you believe it. A fairytale is written based on the secrets and evils of darkness, while the truth buried in the sands of time by the "demon" remains hidden forever. Dark Notes is a dark mystery and puzzle game by HeartBeat Plus. It represents the company's endeavor to venture into a new genre. You will play as the two protagonists, traveling through time and space to explore the secrets hidden in Happiness Mall! As the truth slowly unravels, a secret concerning both protagonists surfaces... ...Anything can be a perfect fairytale as long as you believe it. [Game features] -The dual-protagonist perspective offers a unique gaming experience. You will play as the two protagonists and travel through space and time to piece together the truth of the darkness from different perspectives. -Multiple versions of truth, full of twists and turns The truth and lies are hardly distinguishable, much like a Möbius strip. -Challenging puzzles Well-crafted puzzles provide clues that are closely related to the plot. While helping the story progress, the puzzles also offer a mind-twisting experience for players. -More realistic graphic style The bleak and deserted mall, dim and flickering lights, and quiet and depressed restaurant contribute to a more realistic and immersive experience.

About

IQ Horror Rule

A puzzle game designed to provide fun moments with friends and family. It challenges players to complete difficult puzzles with unique rules. Suitable for those looking for engaging brain teasers.

Highlights
  • Puzzle game with unique rules
  • Challenging levels
  • Fun for friends and family
  • Engaging gameplay
Features
Read full description

IQ Horror Rule is a puzzle game with interesting rules that suit your tastes, helping you have fun moments with friends and relatives. Try to complete all the hardest challenges in this interesting game.

Screenshots

Dark Notes4 screens
IQ Horror Rule4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dark Notes at 4.7 against IQ Horror Rule's 2.7. Dark Notes also leads on review sentiment (43% vs 25%) and ratings volume (30 vs 7). IQ Horror Rule's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). 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. Dark Notes sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. IQ Horror Rule asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dark Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Dark Notes's written reviews are positive against 25% of IQ Horror Rule's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Notes ships an update every 4 months, IQ Horror Rule daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Dark Notes versus IQ Horror Rule: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark NotesIQ Horror Rule
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (30 ratings) — better2.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings30 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size216 MB212 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperFUNNY GAME CO.,LTDLam Van Hong

Customer experience

Dark Notes

All ratings30 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral35.7%
Negative21.4%

IQ Horror Rule

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Dark Notes

One-time5
  • 14 gold coins$0.99
  • 30 gold coins$1.99
  • 80 gold coins$4.99
Show 2 more
  • 190 gold coins$9.99
  • 380 gold coins$19.99
None

IQ Horror Rule

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dark Notes free?
Dark Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IQ Horror Rule free?
IQ Horror Rule is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dark Notes or IQ Horror Rule?
Dark Notes is rated higher. Dark Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while IQ Horror Rule averages 2.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Dark Notes or IQ Horror Rule have ads?
Dark Notes shows ads; IQ Horror Rule does not.
Which is updated more often, Dark Notes or IQ Horror Rule?
Dark Notes ships an update every 4 months, and IQ Horror Rule daily. Most recently, Dark Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and IQ Horror Rule on September 15, 2026.

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