The 3D Cube vs CubeLens
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
The 3D Cube
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Twist, solve, and race the clock. The Cube is a minimalist 3D speedcubing timer built for one thing: getting faster. Drag a face to turn a layer, and the timer starts the instant you make your first move โ then stops the moment the cube is solved. No menus in the way, no clutter. Just you and your next personal best. Go beyond the classic 3ร3: solve everything from a quick 2ร2 up to a brain-bending 7ร7, each with scrambles scaled to the cube. Track your progress the way real speedcubers do โ best and worst times, averages of 5, 12, and 25, and a full history of every solve. Stuck on a step? Tap HINT for a guided arrow showing your next move โ a few are on the house, and you can watch a quick video for a few more whenever you run out. Ads only ever show if you choose to watch one for extra hints โ never during your timed solve. Race friends and strangers live: create or join a room, ready up, and solve the same scramble side by side. Sign in with Apple or Google to keep your Cube ID, your records, and your leaderboard standing synced across every device โ no password, no friction. Make it yours with five hand-picked color themes or dial in your own with custom hue, saturation, and lightness. Choose your turn feel โ Swift, Smooth, or Bounce โ and your camera angle, from near-flat to full perspective. Everything works completely offline for solo solving โ sign in only if you want races, cloud sync, or leaderboards. Features: - NxN cubes: 2ร2, 3ร3, 4ร4, 5ร5, 6ร6, 7ร7 - Intuitive drag-to-turn controls with three turn-feel styles - Auto-timing: starts on your first move, stops the instant you solve - Speedcubing stats per size: best, worst, ao5 / ao12 / ao25 - Full solve history โ see the run that set your record - Guided hints when you're stuck, with free starter tokens - Live online races against friends or matched opponents - Sign in with Apple or Google for cross-device sync and leaderboards - Five color themes plus a custom hue/saturation/lightness editor - Adjustable camera angle (orthographic to perspective) - Fully playable offline, no account required
CubeLens
This app uses your phone's camera to scan a physical cube and provides guided, step-by-step solutions. It offers multiple solving methods and detailed visual and audio instructions to help you learn how to solve it yourself.
- Camera scanning of physical cubes
- Guided, narrated step-by-step solutions
- Multiple solving methods (Beginner, Quick Solve, CFOP)
- 3D cube visualization for moves
- Manual color entry option
- Legality checking for unsolvable states
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Your cube. Your phone. Solved. CubeLens turns the cube on your desk into a guided lesson. Rotate it in front of the camera: any face, any order, any way up. Each face captures automatically, and CubeLens assembles them into your exact cube, verified to be physically possible before you start. EVERYTHING INCLUDED One purchase and all of it is yours: โข Beginner course: the classic layer-by-layer method, one narrated move at a time. You end up able to solve it yourself. โข Quick solve: the computer-optimized answer in around 21 moves, on every scramble. โข CFOP: the method speedcubers use. Cross, F2L pairs, then the last layer, with each stage explained. Pay once. No ads, no subscription, nothing to buy inside the app. A GUIDE THAT KEEPS UP WITH YOU Every move is shown on a 3D cube you can spin, previewed on the exact layer to turn, and spoken aloud in clear studio narration, with four narrators to choose from. Auto-play paces itself to the voice; set the speed from 0.5x to 2x, or step through by hand. SCANNING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS โข Reads real-world lighting: white-balance locking, glare rejection, and per-face illumination correction. โข Handles non-standard color schemes and rim-style / carbon-fiber cubes, and renders your cube in its true colors. โข Legality checking catches misreads and fixes many of them automatically; if a scan is uncertain, CubeLens asks to re-scan just the sides in question, or fix any sticker with a tap. โข Prefer to type it in? Full manual color entry is there too. The camera is the fast way, never the only way. โข If your cube was reassembled wrong, CubeLens detects that it's physically unsolvable and tells you which kind of piece to fix. BONUS: SEND IT TO YOUR VISION PRO With the companion app Cubed on Apple Vision Pro, one scan drops a life-size copy of your cube, in its real colors, into the room in front of you. No account. No ads. No subscription, and nothing to buy inside the app. Nothing is sent to a server. Voice credits and licenses: https://cubelens.app/credits.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: The 3D Cube at Free against CubeLens's $9.99. The 3D Cube also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). CubeLens's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On 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
The 3D Cube is free to download; CubeLens costs $9.99 up front. CubeLens sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The 3D Cube asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | The 3D Cube | CubeLens |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free โ better | $9.99 |
| Update frequency | โ | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No โ better |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Monetization | โ | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 120 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Levani Kirkitadze | Karl Groethe |
In-app purchases
The 3D Cube
No in-app purchases
CubeLens
- CubeLens Unlimited$2.99
Questions
Is The 3D Cube free?
Is CubeLens free?
Do The 3D Cube or CubeLens have ads?
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