Comparison

plain maze vs Tessera

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

Head to head
About

plain maze

Navigate an endless, randomized maze where speed increases over time. Collect points for extra lives and customize your ball's color with a one-time purchase. A simple yet addictive mini-game experience.

Highlights
  • Endless randomized mazes
  • Increasing speed challenges
  • Collectible extra lives
  • Customizable ball colors
  • Simple drag-and-play controls
Features
Read full description

This is simply a maze. Not more, not less. It's a mini-game with a little addictive potential. It's the first game of the upcoming "plain selection", a mini-game series consisting of titles reduced to their essence. plain maze features an endless, randomized, moving maze which you have to solve fast in order to keep up. With time, speed continues to increase. You can buy access to a color-picker for a value that is about half a hot chocolate here. Just drag the ball to the "store" lane and it will guide you to the color-picker. With it you can color your ball and the trace you leave. The color-picker is yours from that time on. So it's a one-time half of a hot chocolate donation, not one every time you wish to recolor. If you find any bugs, have an idea for a new plain feature or simply want to say Hi, you can contact us at contact@plain-selection.com How to play: • Drag the ball through the maze and don't get trapped! • Collect small black points to receive additional lives. 20 points = 1 life. When you die and have at least one life, a new ball will appear in the labyrinth so you can keep on playing. • To interact with the menu, just drag the ball over the respective dotted circles, they will teleport you. • Switching sound on/off works by simply dragging the ball over the sound icon next to the website- and facebook-lane. • Once purchased: to color your ball, simply drag your ball over the color of your choice and let go of it there.

About

Tessera

Engage with unique puzzles where the pieces are animated and constantly moving. Solve daily and weekly challenges with adjustable difficulty and helpful aids. Track your progress and enjoy a private, offline gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Animated puzzle pieces
  • Daily and weekly puzzles
  • Adjustable puzzle sizes (2x2 to 5x5)
  • Offline play
  • Progress tracking
  • Optional gameplay aids
  • No-stress mode
Features
Read full description

Tessera is a puzzle where the pieces are alive. Each puzzle is a small looping animation, cut into square tiles that keep moving while you reassemble them. Two puzzles wait for you every day. Today’s puzzle follows the week: seven scenes, one for each day, ready to play offline. This Week’s puzzle is a brand-new scene, released every Sunday. Swipe between them on the menu. Every puzzle comes in three sizes: 2×2, 3×3 and 4×4. Some are gentle. Some take real attention. Some weeks also bring a bonus 5×5: twenty-five pieces, untimed, to enjoy at your own pace. Connected pieces stay grouped, so a bonded chain travels as one. Hold the eye button to peek at the assembled picture, three times per puzzle. Two optional helpers, set before each game: a grid that shows where pieces meet, and outlines around the piece in your hand. Choose whichever suits you. Prefer a slower pace? Switch on no-stress mode in Settings. The clock disappears, peeks become unlimited, and placement is more forgiving. Your progress board fills in as you play: a dot for each day of the week, a row of Sundays for each month, and a star for every 5×5 you meet. Turn on the Sunday badge, and the app icon lets you know when a new scene arrives. Made for iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, in every pose. In English and French. Play straight away, privately: your progress stays on your device. Tessera is made by one person, and a tip jar is there if you’d like to support new puzzles.

Screenshots

plain maze4 screens
Tessera3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tessera at fortnightly against plain maze's every 2 months. Tessera also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). plain maze's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. plain maze sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tessera sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tessera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

plain maze ships an update every 2 months, Tessera fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
plain maze versus Tessera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterplain mazeTessera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas GradisnikMaeva Liebling

Customer experience

plain maze

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tessera

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

plain maze

One-time1
  • color picker$1.99
3 purchases

Tessera

One-time3
  • Small tip$1.99
  • Nice tip$5.99
  • Generous tip$9.99

Questions

Is plain maze free?
plain maze is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tessera free?
Tessera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, plain maze or Tessera?
Tessera is rated higher. plain maze averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Tessera averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do plain maze or Tessera have ads?
Neither plain maze nor Tessera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, plain maze or Tessera?
plain maze ships an update every 2 months, and Tessera fortnightly. Most recently, plain maze was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tessera on October 25, 2026.

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