Comparison

Needle in a haystack vs The Needle in the Haystack

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

Head to head
About

Needle in a haystack

Features
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Can you find a needle in a haystack? Go through the haystack one piece at a time as you search for the tiny needle hidden somewhere inside. Clear the hay, look carefully, and donโ€™t give up: the needle could be anywhere! With simple controls and satisfying gameplay, this is the ultimate test of patience and focus. Remove the hay. Search every corner. Find the needle!

About

The Needle in the Haystack

Features
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The impossible search becomes a game: every new haystack hides exactly one needle among five million individually addressable straws. Circle the whole pile, zoom down to individual fibres and pull straws directly from the material. The haystack visibly reacts to every removal. No artificial hint automatically reveals the needle. The complete manual search is free and always solvable. Optional Haystack Credits (in-app purchase) unlock the Poke and timed power-ups. The app shows ads; you decide at first launch and any time in Settings whether they may be personalised. No subscriptions. Included: - a deterministically generated 3D haystack with exactly 5,000,000 straw IDs - direct searching on iPhone and iPad - a companion Apple Watch experience - VoiceOver, large text, Reduce Motion, and separate audio and haptic controls - local saves and optional private iCloud backup - no mandatory account; Sign in with Apple only for the optional credit purchase Patience game, technical simulation and performance art meet in one improbably large task.

Screenshots

Needle in a haystack4 screens
The Needle in the Haystack2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Needle in the Haystack at none against Needle in a haystack's 2. The Needle in the Haystack also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). Needle in a haystack's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Needle in a haystack sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. The Needle in the Haystack asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Needle in a haystack ships an update every 6 days, The Needle in the Haystack every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Needle in a haystack versus The Needle in the Haystack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNeedle in a haystackThe Needle in the Haystack
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size165 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynthify IncAlessandro Brning

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Needle in a haystack

One-time2
  • No Ads$3.99
  • Magnet$9.99
None

The Needle in the Haystack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Needle in a haystack free?
Needle in a haystack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Needle in the Haystack free?
The Needle in the Haystack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Needle in a haystack or The Needle in the Haystack have ads?
Both Needle in a haystack and The Needle in the Haystack show ads.
Which is updated more often, Needle in a haystack or The Needle in the Haystack?
Needle in a haystack ships an update every 6 days, and The Needle in the Haystack every 2 days. Most recently, Needle in a haystack was updated on October 12, 2026 and The Needle in the Haystack on October 12, 2026.

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