# Spark vs Mathalon

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mathalon at none against Spark's 14. Mathalon also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Spark's advantage is chart position (#129 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.5). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spark sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Mathalon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spark ships an update weekly, Mathalon every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spark | Mathalon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spark-daily-learning-puzzles/id6744417372/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#129** | — |
| Size | 154 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 12+ |
| Developer | [The Mind Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/875063459) | [PETER CHRISTER ANDREAS NODTVEIDT](https://appshunter.io/developer/6788535616) |

## What reviewers say

### Spark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spark-daily-learning-puzzles/id6744417372)

**Currently charting:** #129 Top Free · Education, #162 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Engage with daily learning puzzles centered around a single theme. Explore history, science, and pop culture through four unique, human-crafted games designed for discovery and fun.

**Highlights:** Daily themed puzzles, Four unique game modes, Human-crafted puzzles, Explore history, science, and pop culture, Archive of past puzzles, No timers or tests

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spark+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Spark+ | $4.99 | per month |
| Spark+ | $7.49 | per month |
| Spark+ | $9.99 | per month |
| Spark+ | $39.99 | per year |
| Spark+ | $39.99 | per year |
| Spark+ | $39.99 | per year |
| Spark Plus | $39.99 | per year |
| Spark+ | $59.99 | per year |
| Spark+ | $59.99 | per year |
| Spark+ | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun and free way to fight brainrot
- 👍 Engaging and educational puzzles
- 💡 Innovative and interesting themes
- 👍 Clean visuals and smooth design
- 👍 Balanced challenge and learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Potential inaccurate information in puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- AT&T blocking the website as potentially malicious

**Requested features**

- More games and puzzles
- Dark mode option


### Mathalon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathalon/id6788535614)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spark free?

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

### Is Mathalon free?

Mathalon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Spark or Mathalon have ads?

Spark shows ads; Mathalon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Spark or Mathalon?

Spark ships an update weekly, and Mathalon every 2 days. Most recently, Spark was updated on October 20, 2026 and Mathalon on October 19, 2026.

---

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