Miniotaur vs Tessel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Miniotaur
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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.
Tessel
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Miniotaur sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Tessel asks for nothing beyond the download.
Miniotaur ships an update weekly, Tessel every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Miniotaur | Tessel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Morten Gregersen | Gijs van Tulder |
In-app purchases
Miniotaur
- Pro$4.99
- Miniotaur Pro (generous)$9.99
Tessel
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Miniotaur free?
Is Tessel free?
Do Miniotaur or Tessel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Miniotaur or Tessel?
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