Comparison

Skein vs Doodle Stick

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

Head to head
About

Skein

A one-touch reflex game focused on timing and nerve. Guide a glowing thread through an endlessly narrowing and accelerating corridor, collecting sparks and dodging hazards. Enjoy a pure, offline experience with optional cosmetic themes.

Highlights
  • One-touch control
  • Endless escalating corridor
  • Collect sparks for score
  • Dodge hazards
  • Multiple motif themes
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Skein is a one-touch reflex game about flow, timing, and nerve. Hold to pull your glowing thread inward. Release to let it drift outward. Weave through a continuous, winding corridor as it narrows, sweeps, and pinches — and never stops getting faster. There are no levels and no finish line: just you, the line, and one more run. • One-touch control — playable with a single thumb • An endless corridor that escalates forever — how far can you go? • Collect Sparks for score and combos; thread the edges for near-miss bonuses • Dodge Voids — the red hazards that end your run • Shifting sections: calm straightaways, tight serpentines, sudden pinches • Motif themes — reskin the field with hearts, stars, flowers and more • No ads by default. No accounts. No tracking. Fully offline. • Optional, purely cosmetic in-app purchases — themes never change difficulty Simple to learn. Endless to master. Thread the impossible line.

About

Doodle Stick

Features
Read full description

The character runs. You draw the world. Doodle Stick is a hand-drawn platform game built on one idea: you do not steer the hero. He runs forward on his own. Your job is to draw. Every pencil line becomes part of the level - a ramp, a bridge, a floor, a wall - and he can use it straight away. Draw under him before he falls. Bridge a gap. Sketch a ramp up a wall. Erase what is not working. And when he has had enough, snap one of your lines off as a stick and fight. DRAW THE LEVEL WHILE YOU PLAY Drag a finger to draw. Lines are solid from the first moment, before you lift your finger, so you can catch a falling hero in mid-air. - Shallow lines become floors and ramps - Steep lines become walls - Small lips are stepped over automatically - A short line beside the hero becomes a stick - You can erase your own lines whenever you like There is no ink meter. Draw as much as you need. A HERO WITH A TEMPER He runs by himself, hops small obstacles, and you can set his pace or turn him around. Leave him stuck too long and he loses patience: he tears a line off the page for a weapon, smashes blocks, and grabs creatures to throw them. He can fire pencil shots at any time. The fighting is exaggerated and cartoon-style, with no blood. 28 HAND-DRAWN WORLDS Twenty-eight sketchbook worlds, drawn in pencil on paper. Twenty-four take their scenery, creatures and landmarks from places around the world - Egypt, Japan, China, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, France, the United States, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy, Greece, India, Norway, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Romania, Spain, Nigeria and Turkiye - before a final Dragon Castle. Two change the rules rather than the view: Deep Sea turns movement into swimming, and A4 Pixel Brawl plays out on a sheet of ruled paper against blocky pixel monsters. SINGLE PLAYER Three hearts. Lose one to a fall or a creature; lose all three and the run is over. Collect coins, bump prize blocks, defeat creatures and reach the finish banner to score. Every hundred coins wins a heart back. WORLD MULTIPLAYER A real-time arena for 2 to 10 fighters on one shared map, using the same drawing mechanic. A line you draw appears on everyone's screen; erase it and it goes for everyone. - Create a room and set its size and how many computer opponents join - Share the six-character code with friends, or pick a room from the lobby - Fight free-for-all, or take the blue or red side - partners cannot hurt each other - Three hearts each; damage comes from the stick, pencil shots, thrown blocks and thrown players - Respawn after a short pause with a moment of protection - Send short messages, spoken aloud by the device in one of six voices Computer opponents are clearly labelled and keep a room lively when it is quiet. PLAY WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT The game is fully playable without signing in. Signing in with Google, Apple or an email address is optional, and exists so your progress survives a reinstall or a new device - linking keeps everything you have already made. You can delete your account and its data from inside the app at any time. SAFETY Names, room names and messages are screened before they are sent. Every room has a safety panel: report a player, choose why, and block them. Blocking hides their character, drawings and messages at once, and can be undone. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours. NO ADS, NO PURCHASES, NO TRACKING No advertising, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no analytics and no third-party trackers. The app asks for no camera, microphone, photo, location or contacts permission. Plays on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Skein3 screens
Doodle Stick3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Doodle Stick at none against Skein's 4. Doodle Stick also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads 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. Skein sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Doodle Stick asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
Skein versus Doodle Stick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkeinDoodle Stick
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB39 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThomas MastersDNA TECHBASE SRL

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Skein

One-time4
  • Floral Pack$1.99
  • Cosmic Pack$1.99
  • Geometric Pack$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Cosmetic Bundle$2.99
None

Doodle Stick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skein free?
Skein is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Doodle Stick free?
Doodle Stick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Skein or Doodle Stick have ads?
Neither Skein nor Doodle Stick shows ads.

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