# duk. vs Candle Drop

The clearest difference is ads: duk. at none against Candle Drop's shown. duk. also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Candle Drop's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 11 days) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, rating and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for duk. against 5.0 for Candle Drop. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Candle Drop has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

duk. ships an update every 11 days, Candle Drop daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | duk. | Candle Drop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duk/id6778465982/reviews) | [5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/candle-drop/id6788130089/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **8** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 8 MB | 235 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Betula Noir LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778465985) | [GAVIN CURTIS LESTER](https://appshunter.io/developer/6788130091) |

## What reviewers say

### duk.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duk/id6778465982)

A charming puzzle game where you guide a character across lily pads by stepping a specific number of spaces. Solve 80 unique ponds in classic mode or tackle a new daily challenge. Enjoy a relaxing, ad-free experience with no internet or accounts required.

**Highlights:** Numbered lily pad stepping mechanic, 80 classic ponds, Daily puzzles (easy, medium, hard), Streak tracking for daily play, No ads or accounts, Offline play

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Candle Drop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/candle-drop/id6788130089)

Explore a dark castle by dropping candles and strategically lining up their lights to trigger massive explosions and earn points. Discover hidden unlocks, character skins, and achievements in this unique indie puzzle game.

**Highlights:** Candle dropping gameplay, Black hole and miniature sun mechanics, Castle exploration, Character selection and skins, In-game achievements and unlocks, Strategic light alignment for explosions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is duk. free?

duk. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Candle Drop free?

Candle Drop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, duk. or Candle Drop?

duk. and Candle Drop are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 8 ratings respectively.

### Do duk. or Candle Drop have ads?

Candle Drop shows ads; duk. does not.

### Which is updated more often, duk. or Candle Drop?

duk. ships an update every 11 days, and Candle Drop daily. Most recently, duk. was updated on October 16, 2026 and Candle Drop on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*