Comparison

Pente for iMessage vs DoodleBack

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

Head to head
About

Pente for iMessage

Engage in a classic strategy board game directly within your messaging app. Challenge friends and family by placing stones to form five in a row or capture opponent pieces. Enjoy simple rules with deep strategic possibilities, all without leaving your conversations.

Highlights
  • Play directly in iMessage
  • Classic Pente gameplay
  • Five-in-a-row objective
  • Stone capture mechanics
  • Automatic move validation
  • Game state saved in history
Features
Read full description

Bring the excitement of Pente to your conversations! This classic strategy board game lets you challenge friends and family right in Messages. HOW TO PLAY: • Place stones on the board to get five in a row • Capture opponent pairs by surrounding them • Win by getting five in a row OR capturing 10 stones • Simple rules, deep strategy FEATURES: • Play directly in iMessage conversations • Beautiful, clean game board • Automatic move validation • Game state saved in message history • Works on iPhone and iPad Perfect for quick games during conversations or longer strategic battles. No separate app needed - everything happens right in Messages! Pente combines the simplicity of tic-tac-toe with the depth of Go. Easy to learn, challenging to master.

About

DoodleBack

Transform iMessage into a fun drawing and guessing game. Pick a word, draw it, and send it to a friend to guess. Continue the drawing chain, earn points, and enjoy a unique way to connect.

Highlights
  • Play directly in iMessage
  • Thousands of word prompts
  • Custom prompt creation
  • Smart hint system
  • Undo/redo drawing tools
  • Score and streak tracking
  • Drawing history view
Features
Read full description

Turn iMessage into an easy to play drawing game! HOW IT WORKS • Pick a word prompt (or create your own!) • Draw it with your finger • Send to your friend to guess • They guess your drawing, then draw something back • Keep the streak going and rack up points! FEATURES • Play right in iMessage - no separate app needed • Choose from thousands of prompts across 4 difficulty levels • Custom prompts for inside jokes and personal challenges • Smart hint system to help when you're stuck • Undo/redo while drawing for perfect doodles • Track your score and streak • View your drawing history together • Beautiful dark mode support • Live message bubbles with drawing animations SCORING SYSTEM • Easy words: 2 points • Medium words: 3 points • Hard words: 4 points • Very Hard words: 5 points • Custom prompts: 1 point • Use hints to get unstuck (reduces points earned) No ads. Just pure drawing fun with the people you care about. Send your first DoodleBack today!

Screenshots

Pente for iMessage3 screens
DoodleBack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pente for iMessage at none against DoodleBack's 6. Pente for iMessage also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). DoodleBack's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (45 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DoodleBack sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Pente for iMessage asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pente for iMessage holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DoodleBack has 45 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Pente for iMessage's written reviews are positive against 94% of DoodleBack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pente for iMessage ships an update every 2 months, DoodleBack every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pente for iMessage versus DoodleBack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPente for iMessageDoodleBack
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better4.8 (45 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better94.1% of reviews
Number of ratings545 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCole Bart MaddenBERG LLC

Customer experience

Pente for iMessage

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DoodleBack

All ratings45 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

In-app purchases

None

Pente for iMessage

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

DoodleBack

One-time6
  • Handful (75 Coins)$0.99
  • Pouch (600 Coins)$4.99
  • Chest (1500 Coins)$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Cart (3500 Coins)$19.99
  • Vault (10000 Coins)$49.99
  • Pirate Ship (25000 Coins)$99.99

Questions

Is Pente for iMessage free?
Pente for iMessage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DoodleBack free?
DoodleBack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pente for iMessage or DoodleBack?
Pente for iMessage is rated higher. Pente for iMessage averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while DoodleBack averages 4.8 from 45 ratings.
Do Pente for iMessage or DoodleBack have ads?
Neither Pente for iMessage nor DoodleBack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pente for iMessage or DoodleBack?
Pente for iMessage ships an update every 2 months, and DoodleBack every 9 days. Most recently, Pente for iMessage was updated on October 2, 2026 and DoodleBack on October 13, 2026.

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