Comparison

Gumball! vs SORTWAVE

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

Head to head
About

Gumball!

A relaxing puzzle game where you sort colorful gumballs into prize capsules. Enjoy a satisfying, untimed sorting experience reminiscent of classic gumball machines. Play with one hand and unwind with thousands of levels.

Highlights
  • Relaxing ball sorting gameplay
  • Gumball machine theme
  • Untimed levels
  • One-handed play
  • Thousands of levels
  • Collectibles and boosters
Features
Read full description

Remember those capsule gumball machines growing up? Gumball! is the relaxing ball sort puzzle that brings that feeling back. Swap colorful gumballs, snap on a lid, and unwind with every tap. Gumball! is a free ball sort puzzle. Tap a prize capsule, swap matching gumballs into another, and keep going until every capsule is one perfect color. No timer. No rush. Just a clean, satisfying sort you can play with one hand. This is the gumball machine as a puzzle. The tubes are prize capsules. The balls are candy colored gumballs. When a capsule fills with four of a kind, the lid snaps on, the capsule shrinks, and it drops into the machine. The machine fills as you play. HOW TO PLAY • Tap a capsule, then tap another. • Matching gumballs swap over if the colors match and there is room. • Fill every capsule with a single color to win. Glass clinks. Lids thunk. Capsules rattle into the globe. It scratches the same itch as a ball sort, color sort, water sort, or marble sort, just quieter and wrapped in a toy you already know. • Untimed levels you can finish in a minute or sit with for a while. • One finger. Portrait. Couch, commute, or in bed. • Thousands of levels, including HARD and SUPER HARD. • Mystery foil gumballs and new capsule twists as you go. • A gumball machine that opens onto collectibles, coins, and boosters when you fill it. If you want a relaxing color sort that still feels like a toy, not a kids cartoon and not a mess of pop ups, this is it. Bright, simple, and hard to put down, like the grocery store machine you remember. Open it after a long day. In a waiting room. One more level in bed. Play until the machine is full. Swap the colors. Make the machine happy. Gumball! from Staple Games. Support: staplegames.com/contact.html Privacy: staplegames.com/privacy.html

About

SORTWAVE

Features
Read full description

SORTWAVE is a fast arcade puzzle game about reading patterns, making quick decisions and keeping the signal alive. Swipe each block into the matching lane. Correct sorts build your combo and score. Mistakes cost time, while bombs, frozen blocks and shifting rules push every run towards overload. CAMPAIGN Learn the system through handcrafted levels, then face faster belts, new hazards and tougher score targets. DAILY CHALLENGE Play a shared challenge that changes each day and chase a better result. ENDLESS PANIC Keep sorting as the pressure rises. Survive for as long as you can and push your high score. BUILT FOR QUICK PLAY • Simple swipe controls • Portrait play designed for iPhone and iPad • Original synthwave soundtrack • Local scores, stars and progress • No adverts • No account required Levels 1-5 are free. A one-time £2.99 in-app purchase grants access to the remaining campaign levels, Daily Challenge, Endless Panic and future level updates. There are no subscriptions.

Screenshots

Gumball!4 screens
SORTWAVE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SORTWAVE at none against Gumball!'s shown. SORTWAVE also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Gumball!'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases 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. Gumball! sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and SORTWAVE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gumball! ships an update weekly, SORTWAVE fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Gumball! versus SORTWAVE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGumball!SORTWAVE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (177 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings177 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStaple GamesCeeKay Apps LTD

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Gumball!

One-time11
  • Starter Bundle$1.99
  • 1,000 Coins$1.99
  • No Ads$3.99
Show 8 more
  • Helper Pack$7.99
  • 5,000 Coins$7.99
  • 10,000 Coins$14.99
  • Power Pack$19.99
  • 25,000 Coins$29.99
  • Mega Pack$49.99
  • 60,000 Coins$59.99
  • 110,000 Coins$99.99
1 purchases

SORTWAVE

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$2.99

Questions

Is Gumball! free?
Gumball! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SORTWAVE free?
SORTWAVE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gumball! or SORTWAVE have ads?
Gumball! shows ads; SORTWAVE does not.
Which is updated more often, Gumball! or SORTWAVE?
Gumball! ships an update weekly, and SORTWAVE fortnightly. Most recently, Gumball! was updated on October 25, 2026 and SORTWAVE on October 16, 2026.

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