Comparison

Pipewick vs HydroValve

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

Head to head
About

Pipewick

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Drag your finger, build a pipeline, and watch the liquid rush through. Pipewick is a cozy little plumbing machine in your pocket. Pick up a pipe mouth, drag a path across the grid, and connect it to the outlet of the same color. Ordinary corners form automatically as you draw; special rotating joints that appear later are turned with a tap. When the last color clicks into place, the whole board floods at once. 1,000 VERIFIED LEVELS 100 chapters, 10 levels each. Every board is built solution-first. Every bundled board is checked by the game's solver. MECHANICS THAT KEEP GROWING Start with simple two-color boards, then meet tap-to-rotate joints, color valves that automatically open only for a matching pipe passing straight through, bridges where two straight pipes can cross, and one-way segments governed by the real source-to-target flow. Each one arrives with a single card, not a wall of text. A NEW PUZZLE EVERY DAY The daily puzzle is the same board for everyone, with a streak to keep alive. BUILT TO FEEL GOOD Tick-tick-tick as the pipe grows, a click at every corner, a snap at the outlet, then the flow. Sound and haptics stay in sync, because that is where the pleasure lives. PLAY ANYWHERE No account or sign-in. The full campaign works offline; an internet connection is only needed for store and ad features. Your progress stays on your device. HINTS WHEN YOU ARE STUCK Smart hints analyze your current board, preview a remaining route as a ghost pipe, and can roll back only the blocking sections when your drawing creates a dead end. You start with free hints, earn more with an optional rewarded video, or buy a pack. Pipewick PRO removes automatic ads. You can still choose a rewarded video to earn 1 hint. Free to play. Portrait only. Made for one hand.

About

HydroValve

Features
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Route water from SUPPLY to every DRAIN — through pipes that stay EMPTY while you build. There's no preview and no undo once the valve opens: trace the flow in your head, commit, and watch your route hold… or leak. Every leak drains the same shared tank. At 0%, the run is over. SURVIVAL — Permadeath against a build clock. At zero, the valve opens itself. Learnable, fixed levels: every scene is the same every run — master them. CHALLENGE — The plumbing is already installed… and sabotaged. Find and fix every fault before you commit. CAMPAIGN — Descend through six facilities. Saves after every level, but once open, the valve NEVER shuts. LIVING MACHINERY — Treatment units scrub fouled water. Gate valves ship shut. Welded faults resist repair. Cracked floors bleed your reserve. Deep levels stack everything at once. KEEP IT PURE — Water fouls as it travels. Run it too far unwashed and it clogs — then bursts. Route through purifiers, or drop portable filters where you need them. WORLD RECORDS — Post your best runs to a live worldwide leaderboard. Three letters, your level, your time. No account, no sign-up. PERFECT ROUTING — Every clear is graded against par. Zero waste earns three stars. Six facilities. Twenty achievements. One shared tank. Hold the pressure.

Screenshots

Pipewick4 screens
HydroValve4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: HydroValve at daily against Pipewick's every 4 days. On price, ads, 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. Pipewick sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and HydroValve sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pipewick ships an update every 4 days, HydroValve daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Pipewick versus HydroValve: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPipewickHydroValve
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysDaily — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMUSTAFA NURI PEKDEMIRAbsoluteNoobStudio

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Pipewick

One-time4
  • 10 Hints$0.99
  • 50 Hints$2.99
  • Pipewick PRO$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 200 Hints$7.99
1 purchases

HydroValve

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Pipewick free?
Pipewick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HydroValve free?
HydroValve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pipewick or HydroValve have ads?
Both Pipewick and HydroValve show ads.
Which is updated more often, Pipewick or HydroValve?
Pipewick ships an update every 4 days, and HydroValve daily. Most recently, Pipewick was updated on November 6, 2026 and HydroValve on November 13, 2026.

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