Comparison

Miniotaur vs Tessel

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

Head to head
About

Miniotaur

Features
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Miniotaur lets you create, share, and escape mazes in a fun and accessible way. Build your own maze with simple touch gestures, then invite friends and family to try escaping. Every attempt records both time and steps, so you can compare results and see who finds the smartest route. Miniotaur is designed for quick play sessions but with plenty of depth for those who love experimenting and improving. It’s easy enough for kids and engaging enough for adults, making it perfect for families, friends, or anyone who enjoys puzzles. Features: • Create your own mazes with simple touch tools • Share mazes instantly with friends and family • Escape mazes while tracking time and steps • Built-in color-blind support for clearer visibility Made by a father and his 7-year-old son, Miniotaur brings creativity, challenge, and family fun together in one app.

About

Tessel

Features
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Tessel is a colorful tile placement game. Place tiles with matching colors to make shapes and fill the board. The larger the shape, the higher the points. Features: • Play an easy square game, or choose a more challenging pattern. • Customize your game settings to change the rules. • Create your own tiling patterns in the drawing tool. Choose from a wide range of tiling patterns to form endlessly varied tesselations: • Square • Triangular • Rhombille • Cairo pentagonal • Hexagonal • Deltoidal-trihexagonal • Penrose P3 • Snub square • Ammann-Beenker

Screenshots

Miniotaur4 screens
Tessel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tessel at none against Miniotaur's 2. Tessel also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Miniotaur sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Tessel asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Miniotaur ships an update weekly, Tessel every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Miniotaur versus Tessel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMiniotaurTessel
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMorten GregersenGijs van Tulder

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Miniotaur

One-time2
  • Pro$4.99
  • Miniotaur Pro (generous)$9.99
None

Tessel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Miniotaur free?
Miniotaur is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tessel free?
Tessel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Miniotaur or Tessel have ads?
Neither Miniotaur nor Tessel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Miniotaur or Tessel?
Miniotaur ships an update weekly, and Tessel every 5 days. Most recently, Miniotaur was updated on September 10, 2026 and Tessel on September 22, 2026.

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