Comparison

Erwin vs Verbena

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

Head to head
About

Erwin

Experience a unique 3D sliding puzzle on a cube's six faces. Merge tiles, rotate the cube, and discover quantum effects like superposition and entanglement. Play with friends in multiplayer mode.

Highlights
  • 3D cube sliding puzzle
  • Tile merging and scoring
  • Quantum effects (superposition, entanglement)
  • Cube rotation for multiple faces
  • Local multiplayer via Game Center
  • Universal app purchase
Features
Read full description

Erwin is a sliding puzzle played on the six faces of a cube, a unique 3D experience with spatial audio and holographic depth effects. Swipe to slide and merge tiles, or swipe the background to rotate the cube and work the other sides. Tiles have a value that doubles when they merge, and each merge adds to your score. Play long enough and quantum effects begin to appear: some tiles are in superposition, alternating between two values, some entangled and move together, and some even teleport. Play together with friends via Game Center Multiplayer: take turns on a shared cube, watch each other's moves in real time, and climb the cooperative leaderboard. Universal purchase with Family sharing: pay once, and play Erwin on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with up to six family members. Erwin respects your privacy and your wallet. This is an app I wanted for myself without compromise or dark patterns: pay once and it's yours, on all your devices, with no ads, no nagging in-app purchases, no tracking, no profiling.

About

Verbena

A cozy word game that blends gardening with roguelike deckbuilding. Spell words to achieve seasonal goals, collect enchanted charms to create powerful combos, and nurture your garden through the changing seasons. Enjoy a relaxed, turn-based experience with no timers or ads.

Highlights
  • Word spelling and garden growing
  • Roguelike deckbuilding mechanics
  • Collect and combine enchanted charms
  • Seasonal progression with unique challenges
  • Daily challenges and leaderboards
  • Relaxed, turn-based gameplay
  • Cozy visuals and soothing soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Verbena — a cozy word roguelike. Spell words. Grow your garden. Chase the bloom. Verbena blends the calm of a cozy garden with the moreish "just one more run" of a roguelike deckbuilder. Draw a rack of letters, spell words to reach each season's goal, then visit the Garden Shop to collect enchanted charms — a Sunflower that adds to every word, a Dewdrop that rewards vowels, a Lucky Ladybug that multiplies your score. Stack charms into run-defining combos and see how many seasons your garden can survive. No timers. No pressure. No ads, ever. A fresh fusion — word game meets roguelike deckbuilder Collect from 17 charms (with a Charm Codex to complete) and build wild combos Special seasons add twists — gentler goals, bonus leaves, lusher words Daily Challenge — everyone gets the same letters; build your streak A garden that blooms through Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter as you climb Cozy visuals, a soothing synth soundtrack, and a relaxed turn-based pace Light & dark "night garden" themes — and it autosaves, so pick up anytime Universal — plays on iPhone and iPad Accessibility-minded: no timers, Relaxed difficulty, VoiceOver, readable-letters, reduce-motion, a Hint helper Game Center leaderboards & achievements, plus personal Records A 200,000-word dictionary Try 7 days free, then S$2.99/month — no ads, no tracking, cancel anytime Whether you have two minutes or twenty, plant a new garden and watch it bloom. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Erwin4 screens
Verbena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Verbena at Free against Erwin's $4.99. Verbena also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Verbena is free to download; Erwin costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Erwin ships an update every 8 days, Verbena every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Erwin versus Verbena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterErwinVerbena
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTamas BartalNaizhong Xu

Customer experience

Erwin

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Verbena

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Erwin

No in-app purchases

None

Verbena

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Erwin free?
Erwin costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Verbena free?
Verbena is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Erwin or Verbena have ads?
Neither Erwin nor Verbena shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Erwin or Verbena?
Erwin ships an update every 8 days, and Verbena every 2 days. Most recently, Erwin was updated on October 20, 2026 and Verbena on October 6, 2026.

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