Comparison

Pixie Grid vs Zen Shikaku

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

Head to head
About

Pixie Grid

Features
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Pixie Grid is a cozy picture-reveal logic puzzle. Solve the nonogram, and your finished grid blooms into a warm, hand-illustrated picture โ€” a small gift you made yourself. No lives. No energy gates. Just you, the clues, and a calm place to think. Free to play, with ads โ€” remove them anytime. HOW NONOGRAMS WORK โ€ข The numbers beside each row and column are run-lengths โ€” how many cells to fill in a row, in order โ€ข A clue of "3 1" means a run of 3 filled cells, a gap, then 1 filled cell โ€ข Use logic to work out which cells must be filled and which stay empty โ€ข Fill the grid correctly and the hidden picture is revealed โ€ข Tap to fill, hold to mark, drag to paint a line โ€” undo as much as you like A COZY CAMPAIGN โ€ข Work through a relaxing campaign across 5 difficulty tiers โ€ข From a gentle 5ร—5 all the way up to a 15ร—15 Expert chew โ€ข Every puzzle has one solution and is solvable by pure logic โ€” no guessing, fair by design โ€ข Earn up to 3 mastery stars per level for a flawless solve (no mistakes, no hints) โ€” it rewards clean solving, never speed A NEW PICTURE EVERY DAY โ€ข One cozy daily puzzle, the same picture for everyone โ€ข Share a spoiler-free result with friends โ€” it never gives the picture away โ€ข Keep a gentle, backfillable streak; miss a day and simply solve it later, no punishment โ€ข A 30-day login reward calendar โ€” play any day to claim it QUESTS & REWARDS โ€ข Optional daily and weekly quests with little bonus objectives โ€” ignore them completely if you like โ€ข Earn Credits as you play, from stars, quests, and your login streak โ€ข Collect procedural background skins to make the game your own NO-FAIL, NO-RUSH โ€ข No mistake counter, no game over โ€” undo freely โ€ข Choose a relaxing no-error-check mode or a gentle assist โ€ข No forced timer on the board; an optional time-challenge mode is there if you want it, and it is off by default PLAYS YOUR WAY โ€ข Dark mode for candle-lit evening solving โ€ข Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, colorblind-safe, and reduce-motion friendly FAIR & HONEST โ€ข Free to play, supported by ads โ€” remove ads anytime with a one-time purchase โ€ข Optional Credits buy only comfort (extra hints, a reveal-line helper) and cosmetic skins โ€” never an unfair advantage โ€ข Every single level is 100% solvable for free โ€” no pay-to-win โ€ข No loot boxes, no randomized purchases, no energy gate, no lives, no subscription โ€ข Credits are stored on your device; unspent Credits stay with this install โ€ข Restore Purchases is always available Pixie Grid is the calm daily ritual the nonogram has been missing โ€” warm, fair, and yours. Sit down, pour a cup of tea, and reveal today's picture.

About

Zen Shikaku

Features
Read full description

Every puzzle has exactly one solution, and you can always reach it by pure logic. You will never have to guess. And no ads interrupt you while you're solving. Divide the grid into rectangles. Each number tells you the area of the rectangle it belongs to. Simple to learn, endlessly deep. โ€” WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT โ€” โ€ข No ads while you're solving. Ads appear only after you finish a puzzle, and not even every time. Your thinking is never interrupted. โ€ข No walls. No energy bars, no keys, no tokens, no level packs to buy. โ€ข Play offline. Puzzles are generated on your device โ€” no connection needed, ever. โ€ข Verified before you see it. Every board is checked for a unique solution and for being solvable without guessing. โ€” HOW TO PLAY โ€” Drag from a number to draw a rectangle. The rectangle must contain exactly one number, and its area must equal that number. The board is done when every cell belongs to exactly one rectangle. โ€” NO PRESSURE โ€” No timers. No lives. No way to lose. Take as long as you like, and use a hint whenever you want one โ€” there is never a penalty for it. โ€” ACCESSIBILITY โ€” Color is never the only way to tell things apart. Every rectangle is defined by its borders and its number, so the puzzle reads the same whether or not you distinguish colors. The palette is chosen to stay distinguishable for protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia โ€” with nothing to turn on.

Screenshots

Pixie Grid4 screens
Zen Shikaku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zen Shikaku at every 5 days against Pixie Grid's every 3 weeks. Zen Shikaku also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixie Grid sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Zen Shikaku sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixie Grid ships an update every 3 weeks, Zen Shikaku every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Pixie Grid versus Zen Shikaku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixie GridZen Shikaku
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size6 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeon KarasChengdu Zen and Bit Technology Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Pixie Grid

One-time5
  • 100 Credits$0.99
  • 350 Credits$2.99
  • 800 Credits$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Remove Ads$5.99
  • 1500 Credits$9.99
1 purchases

Zen Shikaku

One-time1
  • Remove Ads Forever$4.99

Questions

Is Pixie Grid free?
Pixie Grid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zen Shikaku free?
Zen Shikaku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pixie Grid or Zen Shikaku have ads?
Both Pixie Grid and Zen Shikaku show ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixie Grid or Zen Shikaku?
Pixie Grid ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zen Shikaku every 5 days. Most recently, Pixie Grid was updated on October 24, 2026 and Zen Shikaku on October 18, 2026.

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