Visual Pinball vs Bubble Pop
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.
Bubble Pop
This cozy underwater puzzle game offers seven unique mini-games for relaxation and quick breaks. Collect and care for fish, customize your tank, and unlock cosmetic items. Enjoy a progression system that respects your time with daily challenges and achievements, all without timers or ads.
- Seven unique mini-games
- Fish collection and tank customization
- Unlockable cosmetic items and upgrades
- Daily challenges and achievements
- Offline gameplay
- No timers or ads
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Pop bubbles. Catch fish. Chill out. Bubble Pop: Pop & Chill is a cozy underwater puzzle game with 7 unique mini-games - perfect for unwinding on the couch, killing time on a flight, or filling a quick coffee break. No timers pressuring you, no ads interrupting your zen. Just satisfying bubble pops and a fish tank you'll actually want to come back to. SEVEN GAMES IN ONE - Dive In - The classic bubble popper. Build wild combos and chase your high score. - Pearl Rush - Hearts, lives, and bubbles flying everywhere. Pure arcade bliss. - Speed Run - How many can you pop before time runs out? - Sprint - Tap fast, multiply your score, watch the combos explode. - Boss Dive - Take on the Leviathan and other deep-sea monsters. - Log Cutting - Time your slice. Cut clean. Win the round. - Census - Count the school of fish before they swim away. BUILD YOUR FISH TANK Catch fish from your runs and bring them home. Mahi-mahi, clownfish, jellyfish, sea turtles, octopuses, and more - each with their own stats, traits, and racing potential. Decorate your tank with corals, treasure chests, anchors, and starfish. Watch your underwater world grow. SKINS, SOUNDS, AND SUPER POWERS Unlock 58+ cosmetic items across four categories: - Popping Skins - change how every pop looks and feels - Bubble Skins - Saturn Orb, Rainbow Prism, Crystal, Golden Royal, and more - Background Skins - Cherry Blossom Stream, Sunset Lagoon, Cotton Candy Sky, Volcanic Depths, Kraken's Lair, Ice Palace, Nebula Garden - Tank Decorations - make your tank uniquely yours Plus permanent upgrades that keep paying off: Combo Timer, Bomb Shield, Bubble Radar, and more. PROGRESSION THAT RESPECTS YOUR TIME - Daily Challenges with streak rewards - 16+ achievements with diamond bonuses - Collection Bonuses that boost your pearl drops permanently FAIR MONETIZATION - Optional diamond packs to skip the grind if you want - but everything in the game can be earned through play. - No ads. No paywalls. No timers gating progress. - No "energy systems" forcing you to wait. - A game that respects your time. BUILT FOR YOUR PHONE - Plays beautifully offline - perfect for flights and the subway - One-handed gameplay - Quick sessions (1 to 3 minute runs) or marathon zones - No screen-time guilt - the chill underwater vibes calm you down Dive in.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bubble Pop at 5.0 against Visual Pinball's 4.3. Bubble Pop also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.6). Visual Pinball's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (75 vs 7). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Bubble Pop sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Visual Pinball asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bubble Pop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual Pinball has 75 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Visual Pinball's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bubble Pop's.
Visual Pinball ships an update fortnightly, Bubble Pop weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Visual Pinball | Bubble Pop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (75 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 75 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jason Millard | LEONARDO LEE RELOBA |
Customer experience
Visual Pinball
Bubble Pop
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
Bubble Pop
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Visual Pinball
No in-app purchases
Bubble Pop
- Starter Pack$0.99
- Bonus Pack$1.99
- Power Pack$3.99
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- Mega Pack$5.99
- Ultra Pack$9.99
Questions
Is Visual Pinball free?
Is Bubble Pop free?
Which has better reviews, Visual Pinball or Bubble Pop?
Do Visual Pinball or Bubble Pop have ads?
Which is updated more often, Visual Pinball or Bubble Pop?
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