# Pencil Loop! vs Buses Away

Pencil Loop! and Buses Away are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Pencil Loop! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Buses Away sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pencil Loop! against 4.7 for Buses Away. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 757 and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Pencil Loop!'s written reviews are positive against 46% of Buses Away's.

Pencil Loop! ships an update every 10 days, Buses Away weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Loop! | Buses Away |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (757 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-loop/id6753226130/reviews) | [4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buses-away/id6755150293/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 757 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 41.4% of reviews | **45.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 496 MB | 403 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rollic Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1452111779) | [ALI KEREM ALTAS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852253844) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil Loop!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-loop/id6753226130)

Engage in a relaxing art puzzle game where you guide pencil boxes through a loop to sharpen and color them. Reveal vibrant hidden images step by step with simple logic and satisfying animations. Enjoy hundreds of handcrafted levels for a calming yet addictive experience.

**Highlights:** Sharpen and color pencil boxes, Reveal hidden colorful images, Hundreds of handcrafted levels, Relaxing, no-timer gameplay, Offline play, Simple one-touch controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coin Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Rescue Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Mini Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 3 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Medium Bundle | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Offer | $29.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 4 | $29.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 5 | $54.99 | one-time |
| Coin Pack 6 | $99.99 | one-time |


### Buses Away

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buses-away/id6755150293)

Guide passengers of matching colors onto looping buses to ensure they reach their designated stops. Experience a calming yet engaging puzzle game with smooth animations and satisfying loop mechanics.

**Highlights:** Simple and intuitive mechanics, Fun and relaxing loop gameplay, Challenging yet calming levels, Cute visuals, Smooth animations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coin Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Fail Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $7.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coin Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Mini Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Bundle | $11.99 | one-time |
| Large Coin Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Large Bundle | $19.99 | one-time |
| Mega Coin Pack | $29.99 | one-time |
| Super Bundle | $29.99 | one-time |
| Ultra Coin Pack | $54.99 | one-time |
| Giant Coin Pack | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Loop! free?

Pencil Loop! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Buses Away free?

Buses Away is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pencil Loop! or Buses Away?

Pencil Loop! and Buses Away are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 757 and 1.4K ratings respectively.

### Do Pencil Loop! or Buses Away have ads?

Both Pencil Loop! and Buses Away show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil Loop! or Buses Away?

Pencil Loop! ships an update every 10 days, and Buses Away weekly. Most recently, Pencil Loop! was updated on October 17, 2026 and Buses Away on October 18, 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.*