Comparison

LYNE vs "HOOK"

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

Head to head
About

LYNE

This minimalist puzzle game offers a calming yet challenging experience. Connect shapes and fill the board with interflowing paths. Enjoy hundreds of pre-built puzzles or daily procedurally-generated challenges.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of pre-built puzzles
  • Daily procedurally-generated puzzles
  • Slick, intuitive interface
  • Soothing dynamic audio
  • Unlockable color palettes
Features
Read full description

Deceptively simple. Infinitely complex. LYNE is a minimalist puzzle game that will knot your brain as it calms your soul. Connect the shapes. Fill the board. Lose yourself in the interflowing paths of LYNE. "I highly recommend grabbing LYNE in the App Store if you’re a fan of relaxing puzzle games for your iOS device." - AppAdvice, 5/5 "LYNE offers a brilliant dose of puzzling fun." - AppSpy, 5/5 "Lyne is a slick, contemplative puzzler that you'd be a fool to miss" - PocketGamer, 9/10 "Great design, both from an aesthetic standpoint and also regarding its difficulty curve." - MacLife, 4/5 "LYNE is a game worth checking out." - 148Apps, 4/5 Features - Hundreds of pre-built puzzles - An infinite number of procedurally-generated puzzles, released daily - No in-app purchases. No ads. - Slick, intuitive interface - Soothing dynamic audio - Unlockable colour palettes Accolades - Finalist at IndieCade 2014 - Best Puzzle Game, Tabby Awards 2014 - Finalist for Audio Design at Freeplay 2013 - Honorable Mention for Design at Freeplay 2013 “The whole thing is a gentle puzzle game that’s thoroughly enjoyable, which is rare because the majority of puzzle games frustrate the hell out of me.” - IndieStatik.com “From the get go, LYNE exudes a very zen feel. The ambiance is calming, the layout simple and clean. ... if you're in it for the challenge to your brain, dim the lights, find a quiet place, and get to solving.” - JayIsGames.com

About

"HOOK"

A tranquil puzzle game where you strategically remove hooks from a board. Enjoy a stress-free experience with no ads, time limits, or scores. Discover new mechanics across numerous levels with a calming soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Relaxing gameplay
  • No ads or time restrictions
  • 60+ levels
  • Calming soundtrack
  • Dark Mode
  • Cloud Saves
Features
Read full description

"Hook" is a minimal, relaxing puzzle game. Your goal is to remove all the hooks from the board by using various game mechanics that you'll discover along the way. My game is designed to be played without any pressure or stress. There is no ads, no time restrictions or scores. So just chill and enjoy 60 ( and more coming ) levels while listening to a calming soundtrack made by Wojciech Wasiak. - Minimalistic - Relaxing - Simple - Zen - No ads - Dark Mode - Cloud Saves - Made by a solo developer - Can be played offline - Great meditative, ambient soundtrack - 2 milion downloads worldwide Feel free to check out my other games at https://www.rainbowtrain.eu/

Screenshots

LYNE3 screens
"HOOK"4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: "HOOK" at free against LYNE's paid. "HOOK" also leads on ratings volume (509 vs 152) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). LYNE's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and chart position (#50 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

LYNE costs $2.99 and "HOOK" $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for LYNE against 4.8 for "HOOK". Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 152 and 509 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 95% and 95% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LYNE ships an update every 2 weeks, "HOOK" every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
LYNE versus "HOOK": the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLYNE"HOOK"
Price$2.99$2.99
Rating4.9 (152 ratings) — better4.8 (509 ratings)
Positive reviews94.7% of reviews94.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings152509 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#50 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB216 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas BowkerMaciej Targoni

Customer experience

LYNE

All ratings152 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews187 reviews
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%

"HOOK"

All ratings509 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.4%

User reviews

LYNE

From 152 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Soothing and relaxing experience
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to learn gameplay
  • 🧠 Challenging puzzles that stimulate the mind
  • 💎 Elegant and minimalist design
  • 🎨 Customizable color palettes

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Decrease in puzzle quantity in recent updates
  • 📱 Small screen format not ideal for mobile play
  • 🔄 Frustration with progress being reset
  • 🕰️ Slow loading times

"HOOK"

From 509 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Relaxing and challenging
  • 🎨 Elegant and minimalistic design
  • 🎶 Calming background music
  • 💡 Unique puzzle mechanics
  • 🧠 Mentally stimulating

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to see overlapping elements
  • 🔚 Not enough levels

Bugs and requests

LYNE

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Progress being reset after updates
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Bring back the old format with more puzzles per day
  • Larger screen format for better visibility
  • More advanced or difficult puzzle sets
  • Ability to save and resume progress

"HOOK"

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game gets stuck on startup screen
  • No ability to save progress

Requested features

5 requests
  • More levels
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to disable audio
  • Level editor
  • Additional puzzle mechanics

In-app purchases

None

LYNE

No in-app purchases

None

"HOOK"

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LYNE free?
LYNE costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is "HOOK" free?
"HOOK" costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LYNE or "HOOK"?
LYNE is rated higher. LYNE averages 4.9 out of 5 from 152 ratings, while "HOOK" averages 4.8 from 509 ratings.
Do LYNE or "HOOK" have ads?
Neither LYNE nor "HOOK" shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LYNE or "HOOK"?
LYNE ships an update every 2 weeks, and "HOOK" every 5 months. Most recently, LYNE was updated on September 21, 2026 and "HOOK" on September 22, 2026.

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