Comparison

Tessera vs PixelFlow

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

Head to head
About

Tessera

Features
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Tessera is a daily puzzle where the pieces are alive. Each puzzle is a small looping animation, cut into square tiles that keep moving while you reassemble them. One puzzle for each day of the week. Seven scenes, three difficulties each (2×2, 3×3, 4×4). Some are gentle. Some take real attention. A color overlay highlights the piece you pick up. Connected pieces stay grouped, so a bonded chain travels as one. Tap the eye icon to peek at the assembled picture, three times per puzzle. Two optional helpers, set before each game: a grid that shows where pieces meet, and outlines around the piece in your hand. Use either, both, or neither. If the timer feels like too much, switch on no-stress mode in Settings. The clock disappears, peeks become unlimited, and placement is more forgiving. No ads, no accounts, no in-app purchases. Offline. English and French. iPhone and iPad.

About

PixelFlow

Engage your mind with logic-based picture puzzles. Fill in squares based on number clues to reveal hidden images. Enjoy a calm, ad-free experience with hundreds of puzzles and daily challenges.

Highlights
  • Logic-based picture puzzles
  • Hundreds of puzzles
  • Daily puzzles
  • Themed picture packs
  • Offline play
  • No timer pressure
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Color by logic. Reveal the picture. PixelFlow is a nonogram — the picture cross puzzle also known as a griddler or picross. The numbers along each row and column tell you which squares to fill. Work out the cells you can be sure of, fill them in, and a small picture quietly appears under your fingers. No ads. No data monetization. No pop-ups begging for your attention — ever. Just clean, quiet puzzles that respect your time. WHAT'S INSIDE - More than 150 logic-checked puzzles — each has a single logical solution, so you never have to guess. - 16 themed Picture Packs, from Garden, Voyage, and Tide all the way to Aurora, Meridian, and Frontier — every pack with its own mood and palette. - Hold HINT for a gentle nudge — it reveals just one row and column, never the whole answer. - No timer pressure, no countdown, no way to lose. Prefer a clean board? Turn the stopwatch off. - Plays entirely offline. A FREE PUZZLE EVERY DAY A new Daily Puzzle every day, free — a quiet ritual, and a streak if you want one. BEAUTIFUL ON iPAD On iPad, PixelFlow uses the space instead of stretching into it: the board, menus, and layouts are tuned for the larger screen, in portrait and landscape. HOW TO PLAY A clue like "3" means three filled squares in a row. "1 1" means one square, a gap, then one more. Cross-check the rows against the columns to find the squares that can only be one thing — and the picture builds itself. WHAT WE BELIEVE - No ads, ever. - We don't monetize your data — your play stays yours. - Calm by design — no lives, no energy meters, no countdowns. - From a studio of puzzle aficionados who believe games should be worth your time. THE PUZZLE MASTER COLLECTION PixelFlow is part of the Puzzle Master Collection, alongside ColorFlow, ColorFlow: Worlds, Juliet's Dilemma, and more from our growing family of calm, ad-free games. The Collection is free on the App Store — one download, every game, free to try. The Starter and Grove packs and the Daily Puzzle are free for good; when you want the rest, unlock every Picture Pack once and keep them forever — or choose the optional Puzzle Master Pass and play the whole collection. Fully localized in 12 languages — menus, puzzle packs, and even the picture names. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Puzzle Master Pass (optional auto-renewable subscription): available weekly, monthly, or annually — the exact price for your region is shown at purchase. Unlocks the Puzzle Master collection of puzzle games while active. Renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel any time in your Account settings. Restore Purchases is available on the store screen. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://jcy.studio/privacy

Screenshots

Tessera3 screens
PixelFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tessera at none against PixelFlow's 4. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PixelFlow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Tessera asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tessera ships an update fortnightly, PixelFlow every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Tessera versus PixelFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTesseraPixelFlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaeva LieblingJCY Advisors

In-app purchases

None

Tessera

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

PixelFlow

Subscriptions2
  • Puzzle Master Pass — Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Puzzle Master Pass — Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • All Picture Packs$2.99
  • Puzzle Master$12.99

Questions

Is Tessera free?
Tessera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PixelFlow free?
PixelFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tessera or PixelFlow have ads?
Neither Tessera nor PixelFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tessera or PixelFlow?
Tessera ships an update fortnightly, and PixelFlow every 10 days. Most recently, Tessera was updated on September 14, 2026 and PixelFlow on September 18, 2026.

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