Visual Pinball vs Idiomatics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Idiomatics
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Idiomatics is a language game about idioms — expressions that don’t mean what they literally say, but reveal how people think, feel, and see the world. Play through idioms from many languages and cultures. Guess their meanings, notice patterns, and discover surprising connections between languages that seem far apart. This is not a traditional language-learning app. There are no grammar drills, no pressure, and no streaks to maintain. Idiomatics is designed to be curious, playful, and rewarding — whether you play for one minute or a whole session. How it works Guess the language and meaning of idioms from around the world Embark on a journey across 12 levels, featuring over 300 idioms Discover overlaps, differences, and cultural insights as you play Languages & cultures Idiomatics brings together idioms from different parts of the world, highlighting: Shared metaphors across cultures Unique expressions shaped by history and place Familiar ideas phrased in unexpected ways Each idiom comes with clear explanations and small curiosities to help you remember — and smile. Designed for casual players: No streaks or penalties No pressure to “keep up” Short sessions that fit real life A gentle experience you can return to anytime Whether you love languages, enjoy word games, or are simply curious about how people express meaning, Idiomatics meets you where you are. Game modes: Journey: progress through 12 themed levels and languages Nightmare: for those who want a real test Daily (coming soon): one small challenge a day Learning can be playful. Meaning can cross borders. One idiom at a time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Idiomatics at fortnightly against Visual Pinball's every 12 months. On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Visual Pinball ships an update every 12 months, Idiomatics fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Visual Pinball | Idiomatics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (74 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | 26.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 120 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Jason Millard | Ake Tistelberg |
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
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- iPad version with more screen space
Idiomatics
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Visual Pinball
No in-app purchases
Idiomatics
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Visual Pinball free?
Is Idiomatics free?
Do Visual Pinball or Idiomatics have ads?
Which is updated more often, Visual Pinball or Idiomatics?
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