Comparison

Just Stack · Just Play vs Beacons

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

Head to head
About

Just Stack · Just Play

Features
Read full description

Just Stack is a quiet take on the sort puzzle — colored wooden blocks scattered across small open-top boxes. Pour the top of one box onto another. One color per box wins the level. Three small rules govern the whole game: 1. Tap a box to lift its top group; tap another box to pour. 2. The block at the bottom of the pour must match the color it lands on, unless the target box is empty. 3. Sort every box to a single color — or leave it empty — to win. That's it. The rules are small. The space they open up is not. WHAT'S INSIDE — 700 hand-rated puzzles in total, across seven difficulty tiers from gentle Beginner to honest Expert. — Campaign mode: 200 levels with a steady difficulty curve. Early levels go quickly so you find your footing; later ones stretch out for long evenings. After every win, one tap takes you to the next level. — Finish the 200? Free Play unlocks. Pick any difficulty and keep drawing from the remaining 500-puzzle library. — Played a puzzle? You won't see it again in the same tier until you've worked through it. PART OF JUST PLAY Just Stack is the fourth game in the Just Play series, after Just Sudoku, Just Puzzle, and Just Yin Yang. The series shares a single design philosophy: classic logic puzzles, rebuilt patiently, in a quiet voice. No ads, no streaks, no engagement loops. The interface stays out of the way; the puzzle does the talking. Each game looks the same on day one as it does on day one hundred. Just Stack uses the same calligraphy-paper background as Just Yin Yang, but trades black-and-white stones for deep walnut boxes holding low-saturation blocks — indigo, mustard, plum, dark green, and others. If you enjoy this one, you may also enjoy its siblings. PLAY YOUR WAY — Tap to lift, tap again to pour. No dragging needed. — Three undos per level for the moments you didn't quite plan ahead. — Restart the current level any time — never costs you anything. — No moves left? A small message tells you so. No silent stuck states. — Soft haptics that confirm your touch without shouting. PRIVACY BY DEFAULT Just Stack does not collect any personal data. It works completely offline. There is no account to create, no email to enter, no servers to talk to. Your progress lives on your device, and on iCloud if you choose to sync it. FULLY LOCALIZED Available in: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Português (Brasil), Русский, العربية. For people who love the puzzle itself.

About

Beacons

Engage in a serene logic puzzle game where you illuminate a coastline by strategically placing beacons. Solve 400 unique puzzles with a single, deductive solution, no luck or guessing involved. Enjoy a visually pleasing experience with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • 400 hand-verified logic puzzles
  • Four difficulty levels
  • Pure deduction gameplay
  • Clean, eye-friendly visuals
  • Offline play
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Beacons is a calm, beautiful logic puzzle about lighting up the coast. Each board hides one simple rule: place a single beacon in every row, every column, and every colored stretch of coastline — but no two beacons may stand next to each other, not even diagonally, or their beams would cross. There's no luck and no guessing. Every puzzle has exactly one solution, and every solution can be reached by pure deduction — so a win always feels earned. Start with the smallest coves, watch each beacon rule out the cells around it, and feel the whole board click into place. 400 HAND-VERIFIED LEVELS Work through 400 puzzles across four difficulties — Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert, 100 each — that ramp up smoothly as your skills grow. Every single board is checked by a solver to guarantee a unique, logic-only solution before it ships. Clear a level to unlock the next, then come back to beat your best time. PLAY YOUR WAY • A clean, glowing dusk-harbor look that's easy on the eyes. • Tap to light a beacon, tap again to mark a rock, once more to clear. • Optional auto-mark to rule out cells for you. • Undo any move, or take a hint when you're stuck. • A built-in timer and your best time saved for every level. • Clashing beacons light up red, so mistakes are obvious and easy to fix. NO NONSENSE — JUST PUZZLES • 100% offline. No internet connection required — play on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. • No ads. Ever. • No in-app purchases. Everything is included. • No account, no sign-up, no login. • No tracking and no data collection — your progress stays on your device. Just you, the coastline, and a quiet puzzle to solve. Light every beacon and secure the coast.

Screenshots

Just Stack · Just Play4 screens
Beacons3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Beacons at none against Just Stack · Just Play's 1. Beacons also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Just Stack · Just Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Beacons asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Just Stack · Just Play versus Beacons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJust Stack · Just PlayBeacons
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwo Intelligences, Inc.Beyondem Inc.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Just Stack · Just Play

One-time1
  • Just Stack Pro$2.99
None

Beacons

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Just Stack · Just Play free?
Just Stack · Just Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beacons free?
Beacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Just Stack · Just Play or Beacons have ads?
Neither Just Stack · Just Play nor Beacons shows ads.

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