Comparison

FreeCell vs Eldershyft

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

Head to head
About

FreeCell

Experience the classic FreeCell solitaire game with customizable card appearances and backgrounds. Enjoy intuitive controls, including tap, double-tap, or drag-and-drop for moving cards. Offers helpful instructions and an undo feature for a smooth gameplay experience.

Highlights
  • Customizable backgrounds and card appearances
  • Intuitive tap, double-tap, and drag-and-drop controls
  • Undo and Start Over options
  • In-game instructions
  • Ascending order card movement to suit stacks
Features
Read full description

Play FreeCell. Options provided to change background pictures, change card appearance, have cards fly up to the suit stacks on their own or manually. Instructions included in the app. Ads appear unobtrusively on the top of the screen but don't interfere with gameplay. GOAL: Uncover cards so they can be moved in ascending order to the 4 suit stacks. SETUP: A standard deck is dealt in 8 cascading stacks. HOW TO PLAY: Move cards between the 8 cascading stacks and 4 free cells to uncover cards so you can move them up to complete the suit stacks. You can only move the top card of a cascading stack or a card in a free cell. A card can be moved to an empty free cell; to the top of another cascading stack with top card of different color and one higher value; or to one of 4 suit stacks in ascending order from Ace to King. For example, 3 of clubs can be moved to a cascading stack with top card 4 of hearts. Any value card can be moved to an empty free cell or empty cascading stack. MOVING CARDS: Tapping a card once will move it to a suit stack if a spot is available or to a pile with available higher card of different color. Double-tapping a card will move it to an open free cell. Alternatively, you can simply drag a card to where you want it to go. If an attempted move is not allowed, the card will shake. NOTES: You can reject a new hand that looks too difficult by clicking New Game again. If you click New Game before moving any cards, the game will not count as a loss. Click Undo to undo one move at a time, or Start Over to undo all moves in the current game.

About

Eldershyft

A unique match-3 puzzle game where you move entire paths on a hexagonal board to create cascades and combos. Build a mystical island, tame beasts, and choose your strategy to achieve high scores or complete challenges.

Highlights
  • Hexagonal board path movement
  • Cascading matches and combos
  • Endless and Challenge modes
  • Beast management and island building
  • Stackable bonuses and abilities
  • Full VoiceOver support
  • Color-blind and high contrast settings
Features
Read full description

Eldershyft is a match-3 puzzle game with unique gameplay. Instead of swapping individual tiles, you move entire paths across a hexagonal board in 6 directions, opening up cascades, combos, and strategies. Set before the days of Eldermyth, you take control of the Curator of Lands to build the mystical Island whilst trying to tame the Beasts that have followed you from your realm. 

As you grow stronger, will you choose to focus your powers on board manipulation, Beast management or score multipliers? Or, maybe a combination of them all! Two ways to play - Endless Mode: Push for the highest score on the world leaderboard. Survive as long as possible as enemy pressure escalates and the Island becomes more complex - Challenge Mode: Settle the Island by reaching level 5 on each land type in the least amount of turns possible. Each turn counts even more in this mode Deep strategy. Pure puzzle - Cascading matches and board refill from 6 directions reward planning and positional awareness - Ever changing board from multiple different mechanics at play - A rich progression system with stackable bonuses, passive and consumable abilities, and permanent multipliers - No timers. No pay-to-win. Pure strategic depth Fully accessible - Complete VoiceOver support with full gameplay narration, accessible drag-and-drop path building, as well as colour-blind and high contrast settings Try for free before purchasing the full game!

Screenshots

FreeCell4 screens
Eldershyft4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FreeCell at none against Eldershyft's 2. FreeCell also leads on ratings volume (38 vs 8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Eldershyft's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Eldershyft sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. FreeCell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Eldershyft holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 50% and 50% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FreeCell ships an update monthly, Eldershyft every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
FreeCell versus Eldershyft: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreeCellEldershyft
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (38 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings38 — better8
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB7 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerfishdog.netKIERAN HARTNETT

Customer experience

FreeCell

All ratings38 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Eldershyft

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

FreeCell

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Eldershyft

One-time2
  • Rival Curators$1.99
  • Full base game unlock$2.99

Questions

Is FreeCell free?
FreeCell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Eldershyft free?
Eldershyft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FreeCell or Eldershyft?
Eldershyft is rated higher. FreeCell averages 4.6 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Eldershyft averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do FreeCell or Eldershyft have ads?
FreeCell shows ads; Eldershyft does not.
Which is updated more often, FreeCell or Eldershyft?
FreeCell ships an update monthly, and Eldershyft every 3 weeks. Most recently, FreeCell was updated on September 29, 2026 and Eldershyft on October 8, 2026.

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