Comparison

Pick‑a‑Stick vs Swingby

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

Head to head
About

Pick‑a‑Stick

Features
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Pick a Stick turns the classic pick-up-sticks challenge into a calm 3D puzzle game. Study the pile from above or rotate to a free view. Follow the overlaps, work out which stick can move safely, and clear the pile one careful choice at a time. A wrong move costs a heart, while an optional hint can reveal a safe choice when you need a nudge. Features: • 40 handcrafted levels with steadily increasing challenge • Top and free-view cameras for inspecting every angle • Simple touch controls designed for short, focused sessions • Hints, medals, and locally saved progress • Core puzzle gameplay available offline • English and Simplified Chinese No account or sign-in is required. Game progress stays on your device. Pick a Stick contains third-party advertising.

About

Swingby

Features
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Pull back, let go, and watch gravity take over. Swingby is a calm physics puzzle built on one simple idea: your little probe never flies straight. Every planet pulls on it and bends its path into a gravity orbit. Read the orbit, skim past a planet to change course, and guide the probe into the Light Gate. Collect all three star shards on the way for a perfect run. WHY YOU'LL ENJOY IT - Learn it in seconds: one gesture, pull back and release. A finger guide shows newcomers exactly how to play. - Made for short breaks: stages take 10 to 30 seconds, and a retry is instant. - That "it worked!" moment when your shot curves around a planet and slides into the gate. - Play at your own pace: take as long as you like to line up each shot. - Something new to master every time a sector opens. HOW TO PLAY - Drag anywhere on the screen to aim, then release to launch. - Planets, moons and black holes pull on your probe. Read the gravity orbit and swing around obstacles. - Reach the Light Gate to clear the stage. Star shards on the way earn up to 3 stars. - Stuck? A hint shows you more of the orbit. 10 SECTORS, 200 GRAVITY ORBIT PUZZLES Each sector adds one new mechanic and mixes it with everything you have learned: - First Sector: planets, asteroids, orbiting moons and black holes - Wormholes: dive into one mouth and fly out of the other - Repelling stars that push your probe away - Boost rings that turn and speed up your shot - Mirrors that bounce your path - Solar wind that drifts every orbit - Pulsing stars whose gravity switches on and off - Drifting asteroids that sweep back and forth - Keys you must collect before the gate opens - The Far Sector: a moving gate and every mechanic combined Every stage is checked to be solvable, so there is always a way through. New sectors open as you collect stars. DAILY CHALLENGES - Daily Orbit: one new stage every day, the same for every player in the world. Set your best time, check the daily leaderboard, and keep your streak going. - Daily Missions: three small goals each day, from easy to hard. Every mission you complete earns a medal. - Medals unlock new probe colors. Turn on notifications if you'd like a reminder when a new orbit arrives. ENDLESS MODE - Endless NORMAL: start with 3 probes and see how many stages you can clear in a row. A 3-star finish wins a probe back. - Endless HARD: very tough stages back to back, with no hints. - Stop at any time and continue your run later. COSMIC ATLAS Every celestial body you meet is recorded in the Cosmic Atlas, with an illustration, the real science behind it, and how it behaves in the game. Learn a little astronomy while you play. COLLECT AND COMPETE - 12 probe colors, each with its own light trail - 26 achievements on Game Center - Leaderboards for total stars, Daily Orbit time and Endless NORMAL/HARD - Cloud save keeps your progress when you change phones - Share a replay video of your best shot A SOUNDTRACK FOR EVERY SECTOR Each sector has its own calm orchestral piece for the journey, with strings, woodwinds, horn and harp. Available in 15 languages. Free to play, with ads. No in-app purchases.

Screenshots

Pick‑a‑Stick4 screens
Swingby4 screens

Verdict

The call

Pick‑a‑Stick and Swingby are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Pick‑a‑Stick versus Swingby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPick‑a‑StickSwingby
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Daily
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB197 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer栋 赵Haru Fujita

In-app purchases

None

Pick‑a‑Stick

No in-app purchases

None

Swingby

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pick‑a‑Stick free?
Pick‑a‑Stick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swingby free?
Swingby is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pick‑a‑Stick or Swingby have ads?
Both Pick‑a‑Stick and Swingby show ads.

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