Comparison

Tetrobe vs The Needle in the Haystack

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

Head to head
About

Tetrobe

Experience a competitive real-time multiplayer stacking puzzle game. Outmaneuver rivals on a shared board, strategically placing blocks to deplete their hearts before they deplete yours. Enjoy solo practice or private matches with friends.

Highlights
  • Real-time multiplayer matches
  • Shared world grid mode
  • Single player practice mode
  • Special strategy blocks
  • Private lobbies with friends
  • Easy to learn, hard to master
Features
Read full description

Falling blocks were never this competitive. Tetrobe turns the stacking puzzle you grew up on into a real-time multiplayer contest - place fast, think faster, and outmaneuver everyone else sharing your board. This isn't a race to clear lines. It's a contest to outlast. Every player has hearts to protect. Reach your rivals' hearts before they reach yours, and be the last one holding the board. WORLD MODE - ONE SHARED GRID Drop into a persistent world where far more than a handful of players build and expand at the same time. Wander too far and edge markers show you exactly which direction each rival lies in, color-matched to their blocks - and one tap takes you straight back to your own heart. REAL-TIME MULTIPLAYER MATCHES Prefer something tighter? Start a match with up to six players at once. The board is shared and the pace is quick: one clever placement can undo a rival's plan while setting up your next move. SINGLE PLAYER, ANY TIME No connection, no problem. Play a full match against a built-in opponent across three difficulty levels - the same rules engine the live servers run, so practice genuinely carries over. SPECIAL BLOCKS, REAL STRATEGY Walls shield the ground you have claimed. Hearts are what everyone is playing for. Read the board, plan two moves ahead, and place at exactly the right moment. FRIENDS & PRIVATE LOBBIES Add friends with a friend code, see who's online, and open a private lobby to settle who is actually the best. EASY TO LEARN, HARD TO PUT DOWN Anyone can place a block. Winning takes nerve. Balance speed against strategy, draw your rivals into a mistake, and claim the space they leave open. Free to play. Gather your friends or take on the world.

About

The Needle in the Haystack

Features
Read full description

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

Tetrobe2 screens
The Needle in the Haystack2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tetrobe at none against The Needle in the Haystack's 7. Tetrobe also leads on ads (none vs shown). The Needle in the Haystack's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. The Needle in the Haystack sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Tetrobe asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tetrobe ships an update every 3 weeks, The Needle in the Haystack every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Tetrobe versus The Needle in the Haystack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTetrobeThe Needle in the Haystack
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSean WagnerAlessandro Brning

In-app purchases

None

Tetrobe

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

The Needle in the Haystack

One-time7
  • 100 Credits$0.99
  • 300 Credits$2.99
  • 500 Credits$3.99
Show 4 more
  • 1,000 Credits$8.99
  • 2,000 Credits$17.99
  • 5,000 Credits$44.99
  • 10,000 Credits$89.99

Questions

Is Tetrobe free?
Tetrobe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Needle in the Haystack free?
The Needle in the Haystack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tetrobe or The Needle in the Haystack have ads?
The Needle in the Haystack shows ads; Tetrobe does not.
Which is updated more often, Tetrobe or The Needle in the Haystack?
Tetrobe ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Needle in the Haystack every 5 days. Most recently, Tetrobe was updated on October 29, 2026 and The Needle in the Haystack on October 29, 2026.

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