Comparison

ChipFlip vs Hive® Game

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

Head to head
About

ChipFlip

This strategy game challenges players to strategically place chips to flip their opponent's pieces. Inspired by classic board games and cellular automata, it features an AI opponent with multiple difficulty levels.

Highlights
  • Strategic chip placement
  • Piece flipping mechanic
  • AI opponent with multiple difficulties
  • Inspired by Conway's Life
  • Classic board game elements
Features
Read full description

ChipFlip combines elements of classic board games with a novel mechanic where pieces can flip based on their neighborhood. The game challenges players to think several moves ahead and consider the cascading effects of each placement. ChipFlip was developed as a graph-paper-and-pencil game by one of us in the early 1970s. Influenced by Conway's Life, it is an exploration of emergent gameplay from simple rules. The AI opponent uses a minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning to provide a challenging experience across multiple difficulty levels. How to Play :Place white chips strategically on the board to flip your opponent's black chips. Chips flip when they have 4 or more neighbors of the opposing color. The player with the most chips when the board is full wins! See the **Rules** section for complete gameplay details.

About

Hive® Game

Experience the award-winning strategy board game digitally. This app offers a faithful adaptation of the classic game, featuring challenging AI, all official expansions, and customizable visuals. Perfect for both new players and seasoned veterans.

Highlights
  • Official Hive® rules and design
  • Includes all three official expansions
  • Advanced RustyBlade™ AI
  • Adjustable difficulty for beginners
  • Video tutorial by game creator
  • Customizable visual settings
  • Local network play
Features
Read full description

"What impresses me most about this Hive® app is how the AI plays with true strategic depth—enough to challenge even seasoned Hive veterans. The developers have captured the purity of the game beautifully: no clutter, no distractions, just clean design that lets the elegance of Hive shine through. A thoughtful, well-crafted adaptation." – John Yianni, creator of Hive® The award-winning tabletop classic Hive® is now in your pocket. Created with the blessing of the game’s designer, John Yianni, this app delivers a clean, focused, and beautifully polished digital Hive® experience. Hive® is a captivating strategy game often described as “nature’s chess.” There is no board — the game itself is built from the creatures you place. Your goal is simple: surround your opponent’s Queen Bee while keeping your own safe. Easy to learn, endlessly deep to master. OFFICIAL HIVE® EXPERIENCE Faithful to the vision of its original designer, this app captures the award-winning rules and timeless elegance of Hive® without compromise. THE COMPLETE HIVE® Play Hive® exactly as intended. Alongside the base game, all three official expansion pieces are included: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. THE RUSTYBLADE™ AI Don’t settle for predictable opponents. RustyBlade™ is a bold, aggressive AI engine that plays with initiative and intent. It doesn’t aim for safe draws — it fights for victory. Expect intense, uncompromising strategic battles. PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS TOO New to Hive®? The fully adjustable difficulty lets RustyBlade™ become a patient training partner. Learn the ropes with a video tutorial by John Yianni (the creator of Hive), while the illustrated rulebook and Undo feature allow you to learn, experiment, and improve without pressure. ELEGANT & FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE A sleek design that adapts to your style. Choose your preferred board orientation (flat or pointy-top), select custom colors, and adjust wood grain intensity. Responsive controls, subtle animations, and haptic feedback ensure a smooth, immersive experience that brings the hive to life. UNIVERSAL PURCHASE Unlock the Elite Edition once and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. ELITE EDITION: - Full access to all official expansions: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. - Test your skills against advanced RustyBlade™ AI difficulty levels. - Personalize your experience with premium backgrounds and visual settings. - Detailed player statistics. - Game Center support (friend-invite matches only). - Local network play over the same Wi-Fi network. - Family Sharing: Share the Elite experience with your family at no extra cost. The Hive is humming. The army is ready. Are you? Official Website: https://hivegameapp.com

Screenshots

ChipFlip3 screens
Hive® Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hive® Game at 4.5 against ChipFlip's 4.0. Hive® Game also leads on ratings volume (280 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). ChipFlip's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads 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. Hive® Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ChipFlip asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hive® Game holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hive® Game has 280 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ChipFlip versus Hive® Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChipFlipHive® Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)4.5 (280 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—63.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1280 — better
Update frequency—Every 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLocalMinimum LLCGiantStep Kft.

Customer experience

ChipFlip

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hive® Game

All ratings280 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral12.2%
Negative24.5%

In-app purchases

None

ChipFlip

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Hive® Game

One-time1
  • Elite Edition$9.99

Questions

Is ChipFlip free?
ChipFlip is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hive® Game free?
Hive® Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChipFlip or Hive® Game?
Hive® Game is rated higher. ChipFlip averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Hive® Game averages 4.5 from 280 ratings.
Do ChipFlip or Hive® Game have ads?
Neither ChipFlip nor Hive® Game shows ads.

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