Comparison

Bacteria vs Simon's Bacteria

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

Head to head
About

Bacteria

Features
Read full description

Bacteria is a turn-based strategy game where two colonies face off on a board. Discover: - 45 levels across 9 different graphic worlds - 3 difficulty levels against the AI in solo mode - A local multiplayer mode to challenge your friends Move, duplicate, and contaminate to dominate the field!

About

Simon's Bacteria

Features
Read full description

Simon's Bacteria is a turn-based strategy game built around one deceptively simple mechanic: rotate a stone, and watch the board change. HOW IT WORKS Each stone on the board points in one of four directions. On your turn, rotate one of your stones 90ยฐ clockwise โ€” it moves into the cell it now points to, and can trigger a chain reaction of captures across the board. Read the board carefully: a single rotation can flip the momentum of the entire game. PLAY TOGETHER Challenge your friends through Game Center and play together across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Choose your favorite game mode, compete for victories, unlock achievements, and jump straight into a rematch. Your first 3 multiplayer games are free โ€” after that, a one-time purchase unlocks unlimited multiplayer for good. โ€ข Multiplayer across iPhone, iPad, and Mac โ€ข Three unique game modes โ€ข Game Center achievements and statistics โ€ข Quick rematches with friends PLAY YOUR WAY โ€ข Chaos Mode โ€” a fully randomized board for a classic, unpredictable game every time. โ€ข Symmetry Mode โ€” mirrored starting positions for a perfectly fair fight. โ€ข Balanced Mode โ€” randomized but evenly distributed starting directions. THREE LEVELS OF AI (VINTAGE 1998) No neural networks, no cloud, no buzzwords โ€” just an honest, old-school game AI in the spirit of 1998, built on classic move-search logic rather than anything fashionable. It adapts to the difficulty you choose โ€” from a forgiving opponent that favors easy captures, to a sharp one that looks several moves ahead and plans around your counter-attacks. DESIGNED TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY โ€ข Clean, focused board โ€” no clutter, no timers pressuring your every move. โ€ข Three visual stone styles to match your taste. โ€ข Game Center leaderboards and achievements to track your wins. โ€ข Your games and stats are saved locally โ€” pick up right where you left off. โ€ข No ads. No account required for single-player. No data collection beyond what Game Center itself handles. FREE TO PLAY, OPEN SOURCE Single-player is completely free, forever, with everything unlocked โ€” it's an open-source passion project. Multiplayer includes 3 free games to try it out, then a small one-time purchase for unlimited play. If you'd like to say thanks separately, optional tips are available in the Tips menu; they simply help cover the cost of the Apple Developer license required to bring an open-source project like this one to the App Store. Whether you have two minutes or twenty, Simon's Bacteria rewards careful thinking over fast reflexes. COMING SOON We're actively working on additional board generation modes and new AI difficulty tiers.

Screenshots

Bacteria4 screens
Simon's Bacteria2 screens

Verdict

The call

Bacteria and Simon's Bacteria are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Bacteria sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Simon's Bacteria sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bacteria ships an update every 3 weeks, Simon's Bacteria every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Bacteria versus Simon's Bacteria: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBacteriaSimon's Bacteria
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 11 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS18.417.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size19 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAN JUNIPEROAndrei Kondratev

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bacteria

One-time1
  • Mode Premium$1.99
3 purchases

Simon's Bacteria

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Bacteria free?
Bacteria is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simon's Bacteria free?
Simon's Bacteria is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Bacteria or Simon's Bacteria have ads?
Neither Bacteria nor Simon's Bacteria shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bacteria or Simon's Bacteria?
Bacteria ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simon's Bacteria every 11 days. Most recently, Bacteria was updated on October 9, 2026 and Simon's Bacteria on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons