Comparison

Tessera vs Pixel Grind

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

Head to head
About

Tessera

A tranquil puzzle game where completing images brings them to life with delightful animations. Explore diverse collections and enjoy a relaxing experience with varied gameplay styles.

Highlights
  • Animated image reveals
  • 14 distinct play styles
  • 27 curated image collections
  • No timers or move limits
  • Calm, zen-like design
  • One-time purchase for full unlock
Features
Read full description

Settle into a picture puzzle, one shaped piece at a time. Tessera pairs the pleasure of a jigsaw with pieces made from little squares. Fit them together to rebuild the image, then enjoy its animated reveal. A gallery to explore Discover paintings, animals, flowers, fairy tales and more. Follow themed collections, with different piece shapes and a final challenge to round off each one. A little more to solve Use the picture guide and fixed pieces to find your way. Later challenges give you less of the image to work with. Hints are included when you need a hand. Room to take your time No ads or daily play limits. Pause a puzzle and come back to it when you like. Start with a free collection Try the opening puzzles and a collection finale for free. To continue beyond the free selection, buy Full Game once. It makes all current collections yours to keep; complete each collection to open the next. No subscription, and no need to buy hints. If you enjoy jigsaws, art puzzles and seeing a picture fall into place, make a little room for Tessera.

About

Pixel Grind

Features
Read full description

Pixel Grind Swipe. Slide. Grind. Pixel Grind is a satisfying puzzle game where every move sends all blocks sliding across the board. On each edge, a grinder waits. Swipe toward it, and it devours only the blocks that match its color. Each level is a pixel-art picture made from colored blocks. Read the board, choose your direction, and grind every block away until nothing remains. No chains. No luck. Just clean logic, sharp planning, and satisfying clears. * Swipe left, right, up, or down all blocks move together * Blocks slide to the edge, 2048-style * The grinder only consumes matching color blocks * Clear the entire board to solve the level

Screenshots

Tessera4 screens
Pixel Grind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixel Grind at none against Tessera's 9. Tessera's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Tessera sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Pixel Grind asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tessera ships an update every 5 days, Pixel Grind every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Tessera versus Pixel Grind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTesseraPixel Grind
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1515.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVIRGOS VENTURES LTDEmel Senyasar

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Tessera

One-time9
  • Points Topup$0.99
  • Try Zen$0.99
  • Hints (S)$0.99
Show 6 more
  • Full Game$1.99
  • Hints (M)$1.99
  • Zen Eternal$2.99
  • Classic Zen$2.99
  • Hints (L)$2.99
  • Deep Zen$4.99
None

Pixel Grind

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tessera free?
Tessera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixel Grind free?
Pixel Grind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tessera or Pixel Grind have ads?
Pixel Grind shows ads; Tessera does not.
Which is updated more often, Tessera or Pixel Grind?
Tessera ships an update every 5 days, and Pixel Grind every 6 days. Most recently, Tessera was updated on October 28, 2026 and Pixel Grind on October 9, 2026.

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