Comparison

Simple Match 3 vs Riddle Zen

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

Head to head
About

Simple Match 3

This is a relaxing puzzle game where you swap tiles to make matches of three. Unlock hundreds of unique tiles, customize your game's appearance, and enjoy satisfying effects. It offers a peaceful experience without ads or excessive story elements.

Highlights
  • No ads or subscriptions
  • Hundreds of unique tiles
  • Customizable appearance
  • Daily levels with leaderboards
  • Zen Mode for relaxation
  • Satisfying visual effects
  • Achievements and boosters
Features
Read full description

Simple Match 3 is a relaxing and challenging puzzle game with absolutely no ads. Swap tiles and make matches of 3 to clear levels. Unlock hundreds of unique tiles and customize to fit your style. Discover a variety of different elements and mechanics as you progress through the game. Use satisfying boosters and power ups. Unlike most match-3 games, Simple Match 3 was created to give players a relaxing and satisfying experience, without annoying ads, obnoxious effects, or time wasting story elements. FEATURES: No ads: Absolutely no ads or subscription purchases. The base price includes 350 levels, a unique daily level with leaderboard, and zen mode. 1 small in-app purchase unlocks even more. Customization: Customize to your heart’s content with hundreds of different tiles and lots of different background colors. You can even choose the color of the user interface buttons to match your theme! Daily Level: Play a unique level every single day. Try to make it to the top of the online leaderboard! Zen Mode: Relax and make matches with no move limits, no goals, and limited obstacles in Zen Mode. Satisfying experience: Enjoy super satisfying effects as you clear tiles, smash through crates, destroy glass, and more! The effects were created to be satisfying, without being too obnoxious or overwhelming. Achievements: Complete a variety of achievements to unlock more tiles. Boosters: Spin the prize wheel every day to gain boosters. You can also get even more boosters by completing the daily goal. Handcrafted levels: Play through 350 handcrafted levels and try to earn 3 stars. Some levels are simple, others are more challenging. Discover a variety of unique elements as you progress. If you want more, 1 small in app purchase unlocks 350 more levels. Created with love and care: Developed by a single person with care. Levels are designed to be fun, challenging, and satisfying without the need to purchase endless boosters. Download Simple Match 3 today and see what makes it so special!

About

Riddle Zen

Engage your mind with hundreds of unique riddles and brain teasers. Progress through different difficulty levels, unlock plants for your Zen garden, and enjoy a peaceful gameplay experience. Test your knowledge in a timed challenge mode.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of unique riddles
  • Multiple difficulty modes
  • Zen garden with plant collection
  • Detailed riddle explanations
  • Timed 'Quick Play' mode
  • Peaceful and relaxing theme
Read full description

Ready to become the next riddle master? Join Neve in solving a game of riddles and brain teasers. There are hundreds of unique and challenging riddles. It is a good word guessing game for every age group. Features of Riddle Zen: One of nine: - Each riddle comes with 9 possible options with their respective image. - Only 1 of them is correct - After each riddle you get Zen necessary for upgrades Explanations: - Got an answer but unsure why it is that one? - An explanation for all the riddles is provided - At the end of a riddle you have an option to understand why! Modes for everyone: - If you are a veteran with riddles, then there are different options for you. - Each difficulty will affect the way the game is played (Easy, Medium, Hard). Zen garden: - As you progress you will unlock plants that will be required to complete various collections. - Rewards are granted as you get more plants and upgrade them with Zen. Peaceful theme: - The game focuses on peaceful and relaxing tasks like solving riddles and collecting plants. - There's no competition, it's all about savoring the process and finding your own state of Zen while keeping your brain active. Quick Play: - Answer as many riddles as you can within the time limit. - Each correct answer gets you extra time! - One wrong answer and you are done! - Unlocked after solving riddle 40! Additional information: - The game is free to play; however, in-app purchases are available for additional content and in-game currency. - Other than watching rewarded videos no internet or logins are necessary to play the game.

Screenshots

Simple Match 34 screens
Riddle Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Riddle Zen at Free against Simple Match 3's $1.99. Riddle Zen also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). Simple Match 3's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (247 vs 3). On update cadence, in-app purchases, 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

Riddle Zen is free to download; Simple Match 3 costs $1.99 up front. Simple Match 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Riddle Zen sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Riddle Zen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Match 3 has 247 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Simple Match 3's written reviews are positive against 100% of Riddle Zen's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Simple Match 3 versus Riddle Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Match 3Riddle Zen
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (247 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings247 — better3
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#53 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size463 MB249 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMulberry Tree Games, LLCAdmurin Arts

Customer experience

Simple Match 3

All ratings247 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive90.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.7%

Riddle Zen

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple Match 3

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Levels with Missing Obstacles
  • Reward Box Tapping Issue
  • Inconsistent Star Rating System
  • Soft Locks with Rainbow Tiles
  • Crashes on Opening

Requested features

6 requests
  • Level Editor
  • Endless/Survival Mode
  • Improved Power-Up Interactions
  • Hints or Shuffle Option
  • Landscape Support for iPad
Show 1 more
  • iCloud Sync Across Devices

Riddle Zen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple Match 3

One-time1
  • Simple Match 3 Gold$1.99
11 purchases

Riddle Zen

One-time11
  • 10 Hearts$0.99
  • Bamboo Plant$0.99
  • Helpful Bundle$1.99
Show 8 more
  • No ads$2.99
  • Ario's Mushy$4.99
  • Calming Bundle$4.99
  • Focused Bundle$9.99
  • Mindful Bundle$19.99
  • Neve's Bundle$19.99
  • Sensei Bundle$39.99
  • Enlightened Bundle$49.99

Questions

Is Simple Match 3 free?
Simple Match 3 costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Riddle Zen free?
Riddle Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Match 3 or Riddle Zen?
Riddle Zen is rated higher. Simple Match 3 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 247 ratings, while Riddle Zen averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Simple Match 3 or Riddle Zen have ads?
Riddle Zen shows ads; Simple Match 3 does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Match 3 or Riddle Zen?
Simple Match 3 ships an update weekly, and Riddle Zen weekly. Most recently, Simple Match 3 was updated on September 25, 2026 and Riddle Zen on June 29, 2026.

Other comparisons