# Tic vs Recursive

The clearest difference is price: Tic at Free against Recursive's $2.99. Tic also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 71%) and ratings volume (523 vs 28). Recursive's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Tic is free to download; Recursive costs $2.99 up front. Tic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Recursive sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tic against 4.9 for Recursive. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tic has 523 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Tic's written reviews are positive against 71% of Recursive's.

Tic ships an update every 5 months, Recursive every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tic | Recursive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (523 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tic-tac-logic-x-or-o/id658817018/reviews) | **[4.9 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **523** | 28 |
| Positive reviews | **92.3% of reviews** | 71.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 8 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conceptis Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/479420055) | [Kidori](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550451304) |

## What reviewers say

### Tic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tic-tac-logic-x-or-o/id658817018)

This logic puzzle game challenges you to fill a grid with X's and O's based on specific rules. It offers a solitary, mentally stimulating experience with various difficulty levels and grid sizes. Enjoy endless fun and sharpen your logic skills with these unique puzzles.

**Highlights:** Fill grid with X's and O's, No more than two adjacent X's or O's, Equal X's and O's per row/column, Unique solution per puzzle, Multiple difficulty levels, Large grid sizes, Weekly bonus puzzles

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Easy Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hard Variety 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Easy Variety 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hard Variety 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hard Variety 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Medium 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Tough 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Tough 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big & Easy 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Variety - Large 1 | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Nice app
- 🚀 Tic tac logic
- 🚀 Super fun
- 🚀 Challenging yet realistic
- 🚀 Very fun logic game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Puzzle packs are misleading!
- 🐛 Freezes my phone
- 🐛 Needs diagonals rule
- 🐛 Bland
- 🐛 Need more free games

**Reported bugs**

- Freezes phone
- Ruler update issues

**Requested features**

- More levels
- More free games
- Indicate first guess square
- Ability to clear all pencil marks
- More color themes


### Recursive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475)

A challenging puzzle game where you guide robots to collect gems by creating simple programs. Master recursion and logic with a minimalistic, easy-to-learn language and diverse level elements.

**Highlights:** Learn a simple programming language, Solve puzzles with robots and gems, Master recursion concepts, Explore diverse level elements, Challenging, hard puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 hint credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 20 hint credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 40 hint credits | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tic free?

Tic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Recursive free?

Recursive costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tic or Recursive?

Recursive is rated higher. Tic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 523 ratings, while Recursive averages 4.9 from 28 ratings.

### Do Tic or Recursive have ads?

Neither Tic nor Recursive shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tic or Recursive?

Tic ships an update every 5 months, and Recursive every 4 days. Most recently, Tic was updated on November 1, 2026 and Recursive on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*