# Rift Riff vs PATHLOCK

The clearest difference is rating: PATHLOCK at 5.0 against Rift Riff's 4.1. PATHLOCK also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Rift Riff's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (237 vs 3). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rift Riff sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PATHLOCK sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PATHLOCK holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rift Riff has 237 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Rift Riff's written reviews are positive against 100% of PATHLOCK's.

Rift Riff ships an update every 4 days, PATHLOCK every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rift Riff | PATHLOCK |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (237 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rift-riff/id6746967900/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathlock-strategy-board-game/id6773156032/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **237** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 223 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adriaan de Jongh](https://appshunter.io/developer/965628077) | [Bora Oksuzoglu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1818833451) |

## What reviewers say

### Rift Riff

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rift-riff/id6746967900)

Engage in strategic tower defense by jumping through rifts to battle monsters and plunder their worlds. This game offers a deep experience with varied enemy types, tower upgrades, and challenging scenarios.

**Highlights:** Strategic tower loadouts, Varied monster behaviors, 20 worlds with multiple scenarios, 17 tower types with upgrades, 25 monster types, 6 companion characters, 45 challenges

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Incredibly fun and deep tower defense gameplay
- 👍 Great balance of strategy and tower defense
- 💎 Gorgeous art, music, and UI design
- 🎁 Generous free content before paid unlock

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid unlock required to access full game
- 🐛 Chinese text displayed as gibberish
- 🔍 Monster descriptions obscured by UI elements

**Reported bugs**

- Chinese text displayed as gibberish
- Monster descriptions obscured by UI elements

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved localization support


### PATHLOCK

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathlock-strategy-board-game/id6773156032)

Engage in a minimalist 1v1 strategy board game where players strategically place pawns and walls to outmaneuver opponents. Enjoy quick, skill-based matches with no luck or pay-to-win elements.

**Highlights:** 1v1 strategy, no luck, Easy to learn, hard to master, Fast matches, Pass-and-play mode, Bot opponents (Easy, Medium, Hard), Online matchmaking, Private friend rooms

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| 50 Diamonds | $2.99 | one-time |
| 120 Diamonds | $4.90 | one-time |
| 260 Diamonds | $9.90 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| 550 Diamonds | $19.90 | one-time |
| 1200 Diamonds | $39.90 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rift Riff free?

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

### Is PATHLOCK free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Rift Riff or PATHLOCK?

PATHLOCK is rated higher. Rift Riff averages 4.1 out of 5 from 237 ratings, while PATHLOCK averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Rift Riff or PATHLOCK have ads?

PATHLOCK shows ads; Rift Riff does not.

### Which is updated more often, Rift Riff or PATHLOCK?

Rift Riff ships an update every 4 days, and PATHLOCK every 2 weeks. Most recently, Rift Riff was updated on October 28, 2026 and PATHLOCK on October 24, 2026.

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