Comparison

Visual Pinball vs Shaky Towers

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

Head to head
About

Visual Pinball

Enjoy a realistic pinball simulation with hundreds of community-created tables. Experience immersive haptic feedback and customize your gameplay with intuitive settings and controller support. Advanced options are available for power users.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of community-developed tables
  • Haptic feedback for immersive gameplay
  • Customizable settings and POV adjustments
  • Game controller support
  • External DMD and AltColor/AltSound support
  • Touch overlay and instructions
Features
Read full description

The official Visual Pinball app. Built by volunteers since 2000 and open source since 2010, Visual Pinball is the simulator the virtual pinball community has been playing for over two decades. More than 70 people have contributed to it, and this app runs the same engine as the desktop version, so every table plays with the physics, lighting and sound its creator intended. No ads. No in-app purchases. No tracking. Made by volunteers. Two years of work from the Visual Pinball volunteers, in one update. Thank you for your patience, and for playing! A FRESH NEW LOOK • Redesigned for iOS 26 with Liquid Glass • Favorites and recently played tables at the top of your list • Search, sorting and three tile sizes • Light, Dark or System appearance • New loading screen that shows progress THE FULL DESKTOP EXPERIENCE • The complete Visual Pinball in-game menu for graphics, sound, controls and table options • Remap every button on keyboards and game controllers • Save settings for every table, or just the one you're playing MORE TABLES, LOOKING BETTER • Show the backglass and score display (DMD, alphanumeric or reels) on screen, right where you want them • Support for PUP packs, FlexDMD, B2S backglasses, video playback and VNI colorizations • All the latest physics and rendering improvements from the desktop version • Much lower memory use: textures are compressed on first load, then cached EASIER TABLE MANAGEMENT • Import .zip files, along with .vpx and .vpxz • Share any table as a single .vpxz file • The web file manager can now upload whole folders, extract archives, edit scripts and settings, and show the log live AND MORE • Many stability and memory fixes This version requires iOS 26.6 or later.

About

Shaky Towers

An addictive block-stacking game that challenges your timing and focus. Drop blocks precisely to build your tower higher, aiming for perfect combos and avoiding disaster. Unlock unique customizations and compete on global leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Precision block-stacking gameplay
  • Combo system for explosive effects
  • Unlockable skins and backgrounds
  • Game Center leaderboards
  • Smooth animations and visual feedback
  • Free to play
Features
Read full description

Stack it. Shake it. Don't drop it. Shaky Towers is the addictive block-stacking game that tests your timing, focus, and nerves. Drop each block at the perfect moment — land it just right and keep building. One wrong move and your tower comes crashing down. Simple to learn. Impossible to put down. Tap to drop. Stack to survive. Every block you place brings you closer to glory — or disaster. The higher you go, the shakier it gets. FEATURES Satisfying block-stacking gameplay with precision timing Combo system — land PERFECT drops in a row for explosive effects Unlock unique skins and backgrounds to make your tower your own Compete on Game Center leaderboards — who stacks the highest? Smooth animations and satisfying visual feedback on every drop Free to play with optional coin packs HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO? Stack block after block, chase that perfect combo, and push your personal best. Every run is a new chance to beat your record — and your friends. Download Shaky Towers and start stacking today.

Screenshots

Visual Pinball3 screens
Shaky Towers3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shaky Towers at 5.0 against Visual Pinball's 4.3. Shaky Towers also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.6). Visual Pinball's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shaky Towers holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual Pinball has 74 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual Pinball ships an update every 12 months, Shaky Towers fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Visual Pinball versus Shaky Towers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual PinballShaky Towers
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (74 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings74 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.617.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size120 MB10 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJason MillardKEVIN R GALLOZA RAMOS

Customer experience

Visual Pinball

All ratings73 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral6.8%
Negative12.3%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral12.5%
Negative8.9%

Shaky Towers

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Visual Pinball

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Tables don't load for some users
  • Certain complex/intensive tables error out or run at low FPS

Requested features

6 requests
  • List of most played tables
  • Ability to reposition DMD
  • Option to skip startup checks for some tables
  • Ability to edit table scripts on the app
  • Direct link to table depository
Show 1 more
  • iPad version with more screen space

Shaky Towers

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Visual Pinball

No in-app purchases

None

Shaky Towers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Visual Pinball free?
Visual Pinball is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shaky Towers free?
Shaky Towers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Visual Pinball or Shaky Towers?
Shaky Towers is rated higher. Visual Pinball averages 4.3 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Shaky Towers averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Visual Pinball or Shaky Towers have ads?
Shaky Towers shows ads; Visual Pinball does not.
Which is updated more often, Visual Pinball or Shaky Towers?
Visual Pinball ships an update every 12 months, and Shaky Towers fortnightly. Most recently, Visual Pinball was updated on October 22, 2026 and Shaky Towers on October 21, 2026.

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