# Hive® Game vs THE MACHINE

The clearest difference is rating: THE MACHINE at 5.0 against Hive® Game's 4.5. THE MACHINE also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 11 days). Hive® Game's advantage is ratings volume (280 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hive® Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and THE MACHINE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

THE MACHINE 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, THE MACHINE daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hive® Game | THE MACHINE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (280 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-machine-assembly/id6808324017/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **280** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GiantStep Kft.](https://appshunter.io/developer/557576540) | [IAN FABIAN FAGERSTROM](https://appshunter.io/developer/6808324019) |

## What reviewers say

### Hive® Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Elite Edition | $9.99 | one-time |


### THE MACHINE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-machine-assembly/id6808324017)

Engage with a mechanical puzzle box focused on experimentation and understanding cause and effect. Install and reorder parts to observe signal flow and solve objectives. Discover new hardware and deeper systems as the machine awakens.

**Highlights:** Mechanical puzzle box gameplay, Experimentation and cause/effect mechanics, 34 unique mechanism families, Stateful, order-sensitive puzzles, Tuning and Fusion systems, Offline play, Single optional purchase for full content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| THE MACHINE | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hive® Game free?

Hive® Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is THE MACHINE free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hive® Game or THE MACHINE?

THE MACHINE is rated higher. Hive® Game averages 4.5 out of 5 from 280 ratings, while THE MACHINE averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Hive® Game or THE MACHINE have ads?

Neither Hive® Game nor THE MACHINE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hive® Game or THE MACHINE?

Hive® Game ships an update every 11 days, and THE MACHINE daily. Most recently, Hive® Game was updated on October 16, 2026 and THE MACHINE on September 29, 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.*