# Monument Valley vs kubic

The clearest difference is price: kubic at Free against Monument Valley's $3.99. kubic also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Monument Valley's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 39%) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

kubic is free to download; Monument Valley costs $3.99 up front. Monument Valley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and kubic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Monument Valley holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monument Valley has 18K ratings behind it against 245, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Monument Valley's written reviews are positive against 39% of kubic's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monument Valley | kubic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monument-valley/id728293409/reviews)** | [4.4 (245 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kubic/id1062903406/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 245 |
| Positive reviews | **80.5% of reviews** | 38.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 324 MB | 383 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ustwo games](https://appshunter.io/developer/297468910) | [Pixel Envision Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/444289214) |

## What reviewers say

### Monument Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monument-valley/id728293409)

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Paid · Puzzle, #14 Top Paid · Adventure, #94 Top Paid · Games, #156 Top Paid (US App Store)

Explore a world of impossible architecture and optical illusions. Guide a silent princess through stunningly beautiful, hand-crafted monuments by manipulating the environment. Uncover hidden paths and solve puzzles in this surreal exploration game.

**Highlights:** Impossible architecture manipulation, Optical illusion puzzles, Surreal exploration, Hand-crafted worlds, Intuitive twist and drag controls, Reactive soundscape

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forgotten Shores | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Stunning visuals and graphics
- 🎶 Soothing and atmospheric audio
- 🧠 Clever and mind-bending puzzles
- 🕰️ Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕹️ Puzzles can be too easy at times
- ⏱️ Game is relatively short in length
- 💰 Expensive for the amount of content
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported

**Reported bugs**

- Levels not loading or freezing on certain devices
- Inability to purchase or access DLC/expansion content
- Compatibility issues with recent iOS updates

**Requested features**

- More levels and chapters to extend the gameplay
- Increased difficulty and challenge in later puzzles
- Ability to save progress and resume levels
- Support for newer device screen sizes and resolutions


### kubic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kubic/id1062903406)

This optical illusion puzzle game challenges players to construct impossible structures inspired by M.C. Escher's art. With a clean design and minimalistic graphics, it offers over 60 mind-bending puzzles across various geometric and spatial themes. Features include layer locking, zoom, and an in-game hint system to aid progression.

**Highlights:** Optical illusion puzzles, M.C. Escher inspired designs, Geometric and impossible objects, Layer locking and manipulation, Zoom and view controls, In-game hint system, Progress syncing via iCloud

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 25 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| 50 Hints | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100 Hints | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Original and clever puzzles
- 🧠 Mind-bending challenges
- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- ✨ Well-realized game concept
- 🤔 Puzzles make you think

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Frustrating tile placement
- 📉 Steep difficulty curve
- 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 😩 Stressful user experience
- ⚠️ Ads interrupt gameplay

**Reported bugs**

- Tiles not sticking correctly
- App won't launch offline
- App won't load/crashes on launch
- In-app purchase attempts forced
- Bug with in-app purchase activation

**Requested features**

- Fix tile placement issues
- Improve difficulty curve
- Option to rotate puzzles
- Option to lock in pieces
- Dark mode for night play


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monument Valley free?

Monument Valley costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is kubic free?

kubic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Monument Valley or kubic?

Monument Valley is rated higher. Monument Valley averages 4.8 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while kubic averages 4.4 from 245 ratings.

### Do Monument Valley or kubic have ads?

kubic shows ads; Monument Valley does not.

### Which is updated more often, Monument Valley or kubic?

Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, and kubic every 2 months. Most recently, Monument Valley was updated on November 6, 2026 and kubic on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*