PuzzleMate vs Light Up Grid
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
PuzzleMate
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PuzzleMate is a chess trainer with 500,000 chess puzzles offline - for players who want to study chess tactics seriously. No trackers, no ad banners, no data collection. The complete chess puzzle database ships inside the app. After download, you never need an internet connection again. Nothing leaves your device. Learn chess, solve mate puzzles, crack chess problems, master endgames and openings - all in an app that looks like a well-made book instead of a typical mobile game. PERSONAL COACH Your coach gets to know your game over a 50-puzzle assessment It builds an individual training plan around your six weakest tactical motifs Set a daily target, keep your streak, get a gentle daily reminder A detailed summary after every session shows exactly what improved Difficulty stays right at your level and adapts as your rating climbs DAILY CHESS PUZZLE A new chess puzzle every day Seven-day streak indicator Daily puzzle stays available in your history ADAPTIVE CHESS ELO TRAINING Glicko-2 ratings per tactical theme and opening category Dynamic difficulty matched to your chess skill level Transparent ELO changes after every solved chess puzzle No black box - every rating change is explainable GHOST MODE - CHESS FROM MEMORY Memorize the position for ten seconds, then the pieces vanish Solve the chess puzzle from memory alone Ten chess puzzles per session Daily updated leaderboard Didn't catch everything? Five-second peek budget per puzzle CHESS BOARD VISION TRAINER Identify chess squares instantly on the board Unlimited practice mode 60-second mode with its own daily leaderboard Sharpens board awareness for real chess games WEAKNESS ANALYSIS Your six weakest tactical motifs at a glance ELO and solve rate per chess theme Tap any theme to start targeted chess training instantly PROFILE AND CHESS HISTORY ELO progression graph over time Calendar view of daily chess results Complete history of every solved chess puzzle Replay any daily puzzle with a single tap TWO TIERS OF ACCESS Free version: 1,000 chess puzzles, daily allowance for puzzles, Ghost rounds and Vision practice Pro version unlocks over 500,000 chess puzzles, unlimited Ghost mode and unlimited Vision trainer, plus weekly and monthly recaps, sparklines, manual theme boost, achievements and data export No ad banners, no advertising IDs, no in-app advertising No sign-up, no account, no email address required DESIGN WITH CHARACTER Editorial style instead of generic app aesthetics Warm cream tones on near-black background Georgia as both display and body font Hairline separators instead of cards, no rounded corners A chess app that reads like a 1970s textbook OFFLINE AND DATA-MINIMAL Complete chess puzzle database bundled with the app No internet connection required after install No trackers, no advertising IDs, no personal data shared with third parties WHO IS PUZZLEMATE FOR? For chess beginners who want a structured way to learn chess tactics. For club players between 1200 and 2000 ELO who want to close their tactical gaps. For advanced players who want to train visualization through Ghost mode. For anyone looking for a quiet, focused chess trainer without noise. HOW DOES THE CHESS TRAINING WORK? You start with an ELO rating per tactical theme (fork, skewer, discovered attack, mating nets, and more). After every solved chess puzzle, PuzzleMate adjusts the difficulty - correct solutions raise your ELO, mistakes lower it slightly. This way you always get chess puzzles right at your learning edge: hard enough to challenge you, manageable enough to see progress. The Glicko-2 calculation considers not only success or failure, but also your confidence while solving. Solving a puzzle quickly and cleanly earns more ELO than reaching the solution after several failed attempts. Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese.
Light Up Grid
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Can you power the entire city? Light Up Grid is a relaxing yet deeply satisfying wire-rotation puzzle game. Rotate cables, repair broken lines, flip fuse switches and connect every house, school, hospital, factory and streetlight back to the power station ā then watch the dark city come alive with light! HOW TO PLAY ⢠Tap any cable tile to rotate it 90° ⢠Connect all buildings to the power station ⢠Repair broken cables with a single tap ⢠Toggle fuse boxes on or off to control power flow ⢠Flip switches to change cable paths ⢠Power every building to complete the level EARN 3 STARS ON EVERY LEVEL ⢠Complete the level ⢠Finish within the par move count ⢠Solve it fast with no hints 200 HANDCRAFTED LEVELS ACROSS 7 WORLDS ⢠Modern City ā learn the basics ⢠Forest Village ā trees block your path ⢠Desert Town ā scorching puzzles ⢠Snow Village ā icy challenges ⢠Island Resort ā tropical brain teasers ⢠Future City ā high-tech circuits ⢠Space Colony ā out-of-this-world logic RICH PUZZLE MECHANICS ⢠Straight, corner, T-junction and crossroad cables ⢠Fuse boxes, switches, transformers and batteries ⢠Broken cables that need repair before power flows ⢠Color-coded circuits for advanced levels ⢠Obstacles: trees, rivers, construction zones, rocks FEATURES ⢠200 levels with increasing difficulty ⢠Relaxing ambient music and satisfying sound effects ⢠Haptic feedback on every tap ⢠Hint system for when you're stuck ⢠Undo button ā no pressure! ⢠Progress auto-saved locally ⢠No internet required ā play anywhere ⢠No ads, no in-app purchases Perfect for puzzle lovers of all ages. Whether you have 2 minutes or 2 hours, Light Up Grid is the perfect brain workout. Power the city. Light it up!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Light Up Grid at none against PuzzleMate's 1. Light Up Grid also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PuzzleMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Light Up Grid asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | PuzzleMate | Light Up Grid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | ā |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ronny Stasiak | Kinjal Rajodiya |
In-app purchases
PuzzleMate
- PuzzleMate Pro$5.99
Light Up Grid
No in-app purchases








