Hive® Game vs TI Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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"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
TI Timer
This app provides a turn timer for board games, especially those with long playtimes like Twilight Imperium 4. It tracks player thinking time, supports pauses, and offers detailed post-game statistics. It also features lock screen live activities and customizable player announcements.
- Turn timer for long board games
- Player thinking time tracking
- Pause and undo support
- Lock screen live activities
- Customizable player announcements
- Post-game statistics and rankings
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TI Timer is a turn timer built for long board-game nights—especially Twilight Imperium 4. Track exactly how long each player spends thinking, keep the table moving, and review the stats when the game is over. Whether you’re playing a quick afternoon session or an all-day galactic war, TI Timer stays accurate in the background, survives pauses and interruptions, and gives your group a fair, clear record of who used the clock—and who didn’t. BUILT FOR THE TABLE • Large, readable active-player display in portrait and landscape • One-tap Next Player, Pass, and Undo • Timestamp-based timing that stays correct when you lock your phone or switch apps • Pause support for food breaks, rules disputes, and pizza arrivals TWILIGHT IMPERIUM 4 • Strategy card tracking and round flow tools made for TI4 • Initiative and in-game TI4 options your group can turn on as needed • Mark strategy cards as used during a round • Detailed post-game stats and a TI4 Hall of Fame for your regular group LOCK SCREEN LIVE ACTIVITIES See whose turn it is without unlocking your phone. The Lock Screen shows the current player, turn timer, and who’s on deck—and you can advance to the next player right from the Lock Screen. YOUR CREW, YOUR VOICES Save players to a library with custom colors. Record name announcements or generate them with AI, then hear each player called when their turn begins. STATS THAT MATTER • Live thinking-time stats during play • Full results with rankings and charts when the game ends • Group statistics across multiple games MADE FOR LONG GAMES TI Timer is designed for sessions that run hours, not minutes. Recover after unexpected app closes, undo accidental taps, and back up players and game data to iCloud so reinstalling doesn’t wipe your group’s history. ALSO WORKS FOR OTHER GAMES TI Timer started with TI4 in mind, but it works for any turn-based board game where you want fair timing and good post-game data. Stop guessing who’s "thinking" the most. Start measuring it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: TI Timer at 5.0 against Hive® Game's 4.5. TI Timer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). Hive® Game's advantage is ratings volume (280 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Hive® Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TI Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
TI Timer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. 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.
Hive® Game ships an update every 11 days, TI Timer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hive® Game | TI Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (280 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 280 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GiantStep Kft. | James Browning |
Customer experience
Hive® Game
TI Timer
In-app purchases
Hive® Game
- Elite Edition$9.99
TI Timer
No in-app purchases









