Comparison

The Window vs Tesserae!

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

Head to head
About

The Window

Experience a unique narrative adventure where your choices directly influence the unfolding story and lead to various endings. This game offers immersive, text-based gameplay with branching paths.

Highlights
  • Text-based adventure gameplay
  • Choice-driven narrative
  • Multiple story branches
  • Unique outcomes
  • Immersive storytelling
Features
Read full description

The Window is an innovative text-based adventure game where every decision you make shapes your unique story. Immerse yourself in carefully crafted narratives where your choices matter, leading to different outcomes and multiple story branches.

About

Tesserae!

A minimalist puzzle game focused on calm, strategic tile-matching. Swipe, jump, and combine tiles across handcrafted boards to clear the grid. Offers a distraction-free experience with no ads or timers.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Handcrafted puzzle boards
  • Strategic tile combination
  • Multiple solution paths
  • Leaderboard scoring
  • iCloud sync
  • Game Center achievements
Features
Read full description

Tesserae is a minimalist, color-matching puzzle game designed for calm focus and strategic play. Swipe, jump, and combine tiles across handcrafted boards to clear the grid — one satisfying move at a time. Built with an minimalist-style design philosophy, Tesserae is clean, modern, and distraction-free: no ads, no timers, no noise. Just pure puzzle-solving. Features • Elegant Design – Modern, tactile, minimal-inspired interface. • Challenging Levels – Multiple handcrafted boards with increasing complexity. • Strategic Depth – Different tile types (primary, secondary, tertiary) each with unique move rules. • Replayability – Multiple solution paths and leaderboard scoring. • iCloud Sync (Tesserae+): Pick up where you left off across all devices. • Game Center (Tesserae+): Unlock achievements and compete on leaderboards. • No Ads. No Distractions. Just puzzles and you. Unlock the full experience with Tesserae+: • Access to all levels and difficulty tiers (Easy → Diabolical). • iCloud sync across iPhone and iPad. • Game Center achievements and leaderboards. • A one-time purchase that supports continued development (no subscriptions, no ads). Whether you’re looking for a quick brain teaser or a deep puzzle challenge, Tesserae delivers a beautifully simple yet strategically rich experience.

Screenshots

The Window4 screens
Tesserae!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Window at 100% against Tesserae!'s 0%. The Window also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Tesserae!'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tesserae! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Window asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Window holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of The Window's written reviews are positive against 0% of Tesserae!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Window ships an update every 6 months, Tesserae! weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Window versus Tesserae!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe WindowTesserae!
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.2 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeffico LLCTap Things, Inc.

Customer experience

The Window

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tesserae!

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

The Window

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tesserae!

One-time1
  • Tesserae+ Upgrade$2.99

Questions

Is The Window free?
The Window is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tesserae! free?
Tesserae! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Window or Tesserae!?
The Window is rated higher. The Window averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Tesserae! averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do The Window or Tesserae! have ads?
Neither The Window nor Tesserae! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Window or Tesserae!?
The Window ships an update every 6 months, and Tesserae! weekly. Most recently, The Window was updated on October 30, 2026 and Tesserae! on November 5, 2026.

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