# Hole Stars vs SORTWAVE

The clearest difference is ads: SORTWAVE at none against Hole Stars's shown. Hole Stars's advantage is chart position (#32 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hole Stars sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and SORTWAVE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hole Stars ships an update every 10 days, SORTWAVE fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hole Stars | SORTWAVE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hole-stars-puzzle-game/id6747028173/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **37K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 46.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#32** | — |
| Size | 299 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Moon Active](https://appshunter.io/developer/470556954) | [CeeKay Apps LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894067987) |

## What reviewers say

### Hole Stars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hole-stars-puzzle-game/id6747028173)

**Currently charting:** #32 Top Grossing · Casual, #35 Top Free · Casual, #37 Top Free · Puzzle, #37 Top Grossing · Puzzle, #66 Top Free · Games, #80 Top Grossing · Games (US App Store)

Guide a growing black hole through colorful levels, collecting items and solving puzzles against the clock. Enjoy satisfying gameplay with smooth animations and ASMR-style sound effects. Compete with friends on the leaderboard for a fun and relaxing puzzle experience.

**Highlights:** Addictive black hole gameplay, Dozens of clever puzzles, Collect items and grow stronger, Use smart boosters, Avoid sneaky blockers, ASMR-inspired effects, Leaderboard competition

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hole Stars 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 3 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 5 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 6 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 8 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 9 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars NoAds 10 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 10 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 15 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Hole Stars 20 | $19.99 | one-time |


### SORTWAVE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sortwave/id6803288957)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Game | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hole Stars free?

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

### Is SORTWAVE free?

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

### Do Hole Stars or SORTWAVE have ads?

Hole Stars shows ads; SORTWAVE does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hole Stars or SORTWAVE?

Hole Stars ships an update every 10 days, and SORTWAVE fortnightly. Most recently, Hole Stars was updated on November 10, 2026 and SORTWAVE on October 31, 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.*