Circle Stop vs Merge Kitchen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Circle Stop
A simple one-button game where you tap to stop a spinning target. Aim for the bullseye to score points, but miss and you'll get a strike. Enjoy colorful explosions and compete with friends on leaderboards.
- One-button gameplay
- Tap to stop spinner
- Score points on target
- Bullseye bonus points
- Strike system
- Colorful explosions
- Leaderboards
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"Get it." — Stephen Totilo, Kotaku "CIRCLE STOP IS COLORFUL AND EVASIVE LIGHTNING IN AN IOS BOTTLE" — Jamin Warren, Killscreen “I just made cool noises happen!” — Peter Berkman, Anamanaguchi “This game is addictive as hell.” — Eric Blattberg, VentureBeat Circle Stop is an addictingly simple one-button game for touch devices, from New York City's newest two person indie game studio Up at Night. As the spinner goes round and round, tap anywhere to stop it. Hit anywhere on the target to score points. Hit the bullseye for even more points. Miss the target and get a strike; three strikes and you're out! But no matter what happens, there will be explosions of colors! Complete with leaderboards so you can challenge your friends! Featuring original audio by NICHOLÀS BENEDEK & FRIENDLY GHOST.
Merge Kitchen
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Build your dream restaurant, one merge at a time! Merge Kitchen combines the addictive satisfaction of merge puzzles with the cozy progression of a restaurant tycoon game. Tap fresh ingredients, drag and merge them into higher-tier dishes, and serve a steady stream of hungry customers — all while your restaurant earns coins on its own, even when you're not playing. HOW TO PLAY - Tap ingredient crates to spawn fresh produce - Drag matching ingredients together to merge them into better items - Keep merging — tomatoes become sauce, sauce becomes a pizza base, and a finished pizza is ready to serve - Fulfill customer orders for coins and experience - Level up to unlock new ingredient stations: bakery, drinks, and beyond YOUR RESTAURANT GROWS WITH YOU Earn coins even when the app is closed. Spend them upgrading your dining room, oven, counter, and decor to boost your idle income — the longer you play, the more your restaurant earns on its own. FEATURES - Relaxing merge-puzzle gameplay with no fail states or timers - A genuine idle-income system — come back to coins waiting for you - Three ingredient chains to master: vegetables, bakery, and drinks - A growing dish collection to complete - Restaurant upgrades that permanently boost your earnings - No account or sign-up required — just open and play - Play fully offline — no internet connection needed Whether you have five minutes or an hour, Merge Kitchen is built for relaxed, drop-in play. Serve your first customer today! --- Merge Kitchen contains optional in-app purchases and advertisements. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Circle Stop at none against Merge Kitchen's shown. Circle Stop also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Merge Kitchen's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Circle Stop sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Merge Kitchen sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Circle Stop ships an update every 10 months, Merge Kitchen every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Circle Stop | Merge Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Twenty Percent | Tilak Dhameliya |
Bugs and requests
Circle Stop
Reported bugs
3 issues- App continuously crashes
- App cannot download completely and cannot be deleted
- Graphics overflow the screen on iPad
Requested features
5 requests- Multiplayer mode with score keeping
- Ability to earn extra lives
- Save color preferences
- Dark mode option
- More visual effects
Merge Kitchen
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Circle Stop
- Turn Off Ads FOREVER$1.99
Merge Kitchen
- VIP Membership$4.991 Month
- 100 Gems$0.99
- Starter Pack$1.99
- Remove Ads$3.99
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- 550 Gems$4.99
- 1200 Gems$9.99
Questions
Is Circle Stop free?
Is Merge Kitchen free?
Do Circle Stop or Merge Kitchen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Circle Stop or Merge Kitchen?
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