# Tessel vs ShiftGrid

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tessel at none against ShiftGrid's 3. Tessel also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShiftGrid sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Tessel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tessel ships an update every 5 days, ShiftGrid weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tessel | ShiftGrid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Weekly |
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gijs van Tulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/1847637788) | [Kani Tas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1876056337) |

## What reviewers say

### Tessel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessel/id6754282700)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ShiftGrid

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftgrid/id6758965097)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Hint Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30 Hint Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Extra Lives | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tessel free?

Tessel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ShiftGrid free?

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

### Do Tessel or ShiftGrid have ads?

ShiftGrid shows ads; Tessel does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tessel or ShiftGrid?

Tessel ships an update every 5 days, and ShiftGrid weekly. Most recently, Tessel was updated on September 22, 2026 and ShiftGrid on October 9, 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.*