Comparison

boxd vs Color Gate

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

Head to head
About

boxd

Features
Read full description

A grid appears. A few cells hold a big friendly number. Press and drag: a candy-colored box stretches under your finger, counting its cells live. A box around a "6" must cover exactly 6 cells. Cover the whole board and it's boxd. Wrong size? The box wobbles and melts away. No penalty screens, no lives, no game over. Mistakes bounce back softly. That's the whole point. PLAY EVERY DAY • the daily boxd: one fresh puzzle a day, the same board for everyone • the sticker book: every daily pressed into a monthly album, gold for perfect, silver for fast, bronze for done. Miss a day and the slot stays empty forever. That's the thrill • ten packs, 420 levels: from a genuine 4Ɨ4 on-ramp for kids to 12Ɨ12 boards for experts; every pack is open from day one • seasons: halloween, diwali, dĆ­a de muertos, harvest and winter, each open a few weeks a year with shaped boards, its own colors, music and a costume for your companion • festival days: on a season's big day the daily becomes a festival board that presses a limited sticker PLAY TOGETHER • the ring: a worldwide leaderboard, points, streak, stars • boxd bouts: host live races for 2 to 8 boxers, now or at a time you pick, 1 to 5 rounds, with invites and reminders • share cards: turn any win into a sticker worth sending MAKE IT YOURS • a companion: cubby and friends ride along after your first win, react to your play and chat in boxdish • ten themes: pop, neon, sorbet, high-contrast ink, neo-brutal, vaporwave and more • the timer is optional and never shouts • works fully offline; sign-in is optional and only powers leaderboards & bouts No ads. No energy meters. No punishments. Just squishy boxes. drag. fit. boxd. boxd Pro is optional: monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscriptions, or a one-time lifetime unlock. Subscriptions renew unless cancelled in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://playboxd.com/privacy/

About

Color Gate

Features
Read full description

Slide it to its color. Pop — it's out. Drag wooden blocks across the board and send each one out through the gate of the same color. No lives. No failing when time runs out. Just you, the board, and that satisfying pop. HOW TO PLAY • Drag a block — it glides through empty cells • When it touches a gate of its color that it fits through, it pops out • Clear every block to finish the board • Gray blocks never move, so the order you choose is everything FEATURES • Every board is built to be solvable — each one is designed backwards from an empty board • You can't get stuck: unlimited undo, and restart anytime • A next-move hint when you need a nudge • Earn 3 stars by beating the target moves and time. Running over the time never fails a level • Four levels of challenge: Easy, Normal, Hard and Oni — with endless levels • Today's Board: a fresh board every day, plus your daily streak • Traditional Japanese color palettes: Classic, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Miyabi • Color assist: a shape for every color on blocks and gates • Gentle haptics and sound for every pop • English and Japanese MADE FOR YOU IF YOU • Are tired of waiting for lives to refill or losing a level to a timer • Want a calm, clever break on your commute, lunch or before bed • Love unblock, sliding block and escape puzzles • Prefer a quiet, crafted look over loud, flashy games PRIVACY • No account, no sign-up • Your progress and settings stay on your device and are never uploaded • No personal data collected, no tracking • The puzzles play offline • Only to introduce the developer's other apps in the free version, the app loads public App Store information (app names and icons)

Screenshots

boxd4 screens
Color Gate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: boxd at 15.0 against Color Gate's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. boxd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Color Gate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

boxd ships an update every 2 weeks, Color Gate every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
boxd versus Color Gate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterboxdColor Gate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRahul Deshpandetorankirite

In-app purchases

3 purchases

boxd

Subscriptions2
  • boxd Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • boxd Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • boxd Pro Lifetime$19.99
1 purchases

Color Gate

One-time1
  • Premium$4.99

Questions

Is boxd free?
boxd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Color Gate free?
Color Gate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do boxd or Color Gate have ads?
Neither boxd nor Color Gate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, boxd or Color Gate?
boxd ships an update every 2 weeks, and Color Gate every 3 weeks. Most recently, boxd was updated on October 29, 2026 and Color Gate on October 29, 2026.

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