Comparison

MOONTIDE vs Paperlift

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

Head to head
About

MOONTIDE

Command the ocean's tides to guide your fish through a dynamic seascape. Dodge obstacles, collect pearls, and earn points for near misses. Unlock new fish, trails, and moons to enhance your underwater adventure.

Highlights
  • Harness moon energy to control tides
  • Guide fish by manipulating water
  • Dodge mines, jellyfish, gulls, and electric gates
  • Earn bonus points for near misses
  • Collect pearls to unlock upgrades
  • Customize fish, trails, and moons
Features
Read full description

Harness the Moon's energy to command the ocean. Hold anywhere and the tide rises toward you, let go and it comes crashing back down. Your fish simply rides the surface, so every dodge and every close call comes down to how you move the water. Time it perfectly, letting go right at the top of the swell or catching it right at the bottom, and you build Surge: the sea speeds up, your multiplier climbs, and a full meter unleashes a Tidal Rush. The farther you swim the busier the sea gets, with mines, jellyfish, diving gulls and electric gates drifting into your path, and an adaptive score that changes with every biome. Collect pearls and spend them on new fish, trails, moons, crests and splashes, and try anything on before you buy.

About

Paperlift

Guide a paper plane through various environments, riding thermals to extend your flight. Unlock new plane styles and contrails as you progress through levels and earn experience. Compete daily on the same course and share your progress.

Highlights
  • Hold to fly, release to dive
  • Ride thermals for extended flight
  • Unlock new plane styles and contrails
  • Daily courses and leaderboards
  • Customize plane appearance
  • Glide through four distinct worlds
Read full description

Hold to fly. Ride thermals. Don't hit anything. How far can you go? NEW IN 1.1 • 56 levels: every flight earns XP and unlocks new plane styles and contrails, all the way up to God Mode. • A Mystery Box every day, with rare, animated box-only planes and trails. • Glide through four worlds: City, Ocean, Desert and Mountains. • Customize your look in the Edit plane screen. HOW IT PLAYS Paperlift is a one-thumb paper-plane glide. Hold to pitch up, release to dive, and thread buildings, kites and geese. Thermals are cool white dust-devils. Ride them to streak, and graze a near miss for extra score. A NEW COURSE EVERY DAY Each day resets at midnight Pacific with the same course for everyone. Beat today's top flyers, earn an extra life every 500 score, and share your death card. Optional Game Center for rankings. Soft ads on the death card and every few Fly again taps, plus rewarded Keep flying and Double Paper if you want them. No account. No in-app purchases.

Screenshots

MOONTIDE4 screens
Paperlift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paperlift at none against MOONTIDE's 4. MOONTIDE's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. MOONTIDE sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Paperlift asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MOONTIDE against 5.0 for Paperlift. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MOONTIDE ships an update every 2 days, Paperlift every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MOONTIDE versus Paperlift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMOONTIDEPaperlift
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings44
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB43 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperVISHNU SAI PURUSHOTHAMANALAN MICHAEL SCHAAF

In-app purchases

4 purchases

MOONTIDE

One-time4
  • Handful of Pearls$0.99
  • Satchel of Pearls$2.99
  • Remove Ads$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Pearl Treasure$6.99
None

Paperlift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MOONTIDE free?
MOONTIDE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paperlift free?
Paperlift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MOONTIDE or Paperlift?
MOONTIDE and Paperlift are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do MOONTIDE or Paperlift have ads?
Both MOONTIDE and Paperlift show ads.
Which is updated more often, MOONTIDE or Paperlift?
MOONTIDE ships an update every 2 days, and Paperlift every 6 days. Most recently, MOONTIDE was updated on October 24, 2026 and Paperlift on October 26, 2026.

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