Visual Pinball vs Shard Puzzle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Visual Pinball
Experience the full virtual pinball simulator with realistic physics, lighting, and sound. This open-source app offers a redesigned interface, enhanced table management, and the complete desktop experience for mobile devices. Enjoy a vast library of tables without ads or in-app purchases.
- Realistic physics, lighting, and sound
- Redesigned interface with Liquid Glass
- Full in-game menu for graphics and controls
- Support for various backglass and display types
- Easy table import and management
- Optimized memory usage
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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.
Shard Puzzle
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SHARD PUZZLE — Where Broken Becomes Beautiful Every piece of glass tells a story. In Shard Puzzle, beautiful shapes shatter into irregular geometric fragments — and it's your job to piece them back together. SHATTERED GLASS PUZZLES Each level presents a target shape — circles, hexagons, diamonds, and unique random polygons — broken into gleaming glass shards. Drag each shard from the dock and place it precisely where it belongs. The pieces shimmer and catch light as you move your device, creating a stunning visual experience. INFINITE LEVELS, GROWING CHALLENGE Start with simple 4-piece puzzles and progress through increasingly complex challenges with up to 50 shards per form. As you advance, target shapes grow larger, pieces become smaller, and snap precision gets tighter. Every level is procedurally generated — you'll never see the same puzzle twice. CALMING AMBIENT EXPERIENCE Shard Puzzle is designed for relaxation. Soothing procedurally-generated ambient music accompanies your play, with gentle chord progressions and warm reverb. Toggle the music on or off at any time. Perfect for unwinding before bed or during a break. FEATURES - Infinite procedurally generated levels — every puzzle is unique - 5 forms per level with diverse shapes and random polygons - Glass shard visuals with device-reactive shimmer effects - Calming ambient soundtrack generated in real-time - Multiple save slots — share your device with family and friends - Auto-save — pick up exactly where you left off - Combo scoring system — place pieces quickly for bonus points - Golden puzzle rewards every 5 levels - Hint system to guide you when stuck - Clean, minimal interface designed for focus PROGRESSION Level 1: 4 pieces — learn the basics Level 5: 14 pieces — shapes get interesting Level 10: 24 pieces — real challenge begins Level 15: 34 pieces — expert territory Level 23+: 50 pieces — master class Take a breath. Pick up a shard. Make it whole again.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Visual Pinball at Free against Shard Puzzle's $0.99. Shard Puzzle's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.6). On 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
Visual Pinball is free to download; Shard Puzzle costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Visual Pinball | Shard Puzzle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (74 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | +4 |
| Developer | Jason Millard | TOMAS VYTAS |
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
Shard Puzzle
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Visual Pinball
No in-app purchases
Shard Puzzle
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Visual Pinball free?
Is Shard Puzzle free?
Do Visual Pinball or Shard Puzzle have ads?
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