# Shadowmatic vs LVL

The clearest difference is price: LVL at Free against Shadowmatic's $3.99. LVL also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Shadowmatic's advantage is chart position (#28 vs unranked) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 397). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

LVL is free to download; Shadowmatic costs $3.99 up front. Shadowmatic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. LVL asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Shadowmatic against 4.7 for LVL. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowmatic has 2.1K ratings behind it against 397, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Shadowmatic's written reviews are positive against 90% of LVL's.

Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, LVL every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowmatic | LVL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowmatic/id775888026/reviews)** | [4.7 (397 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lvl/id1164492728/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 397 |
| Positive reviews | 85.8% of reviews | **89.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#28** | — |
| Size | 388 MB | 130 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TRIADA Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/775888029) | [Ertan Unver](https://appshunter.io/developer/841130981) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowmatic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowmatic/id775888026)

**Currently charting:** #28 Top Paid · Family, #68 Top Paid · Puzzle (US App Store)

Rotate abstract objects in a spotlight to cast recognizable silhouettes. Explore unique environments with captivating music and stunning visuals. Discover unexpected shapes and solve mind-bending puzzles.

**Highlights:** Rotate abstract objects, Create recognizable silhouettes, Stunning visuals, Relaxing gameplay, Unique thematic environments, Assistant button for hints

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pack of 20 Hint-Points | $0.99 | one-time |
| "Other Worlds" chapter | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 50 Hint-Points | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 150 Hint-Points | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 500 Hint-Points | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique and creative gameplay
- 👍 Relaxing and calming experience
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics and visuals
- 🧠 Challenging puzzles that exercise the mind
- 🎶 Soothing background music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Precision issues with controls, especially for complex puzzles
- 🤔 Unclear objectives at times, making it difficult to understand what the desired solution is
- ⏱️ Frustration when getting stuck on a puzzle for a long time
- 👀 Difficult for left-handed players due to the positioning of the controls

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes or freezes on certain devices, especially newer iPad models
- Progress not saving properly, causing players to lose progress

**Requested features**

- More levels and new puzzle types to keep the game fresh
- Ability to save progress and resume puzzles
- Option to mirror the game screen for left-handed players
- Hints that provide more useful guidance, not just the final solution


### LVL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lvl/id1164492728)

This minimalistic puzzle game challenges players to think in 3D while solving 2D puzzles. It features over 50 hand-crafted levels and an endless mode with randomly generated puzzles. The unique gameplay requires players to consider interactions on opposite faces of the puzzle.

**Highlights:** 50+ hand-crafted levels, 150+ incredible puzzles, Unlimited randomly-generated levels, Minimalist design, Think in 3D for 2D puzzles, Interact with opposite faces

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful game
- 👍 由淺入深的遊戲
- 👍 simple and satisfying
- 👍 Lvl
- 👍 schlicht und gut

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 stope music
- 🔋 電池食う
- 🔋 Не оптимально
- 🔋 Игра отличная!
- 🐛 Game needs some fixing

**Reported bugs**

- the game start from the beginning when changing mobile device
- The endless version keeps crashing, please fix!
- Swipe controls are poor, making it a pain to change surfaces.
- Your new upgrade is terrible. Very jerky. Liked the old one much better.

**Requested features**

- Move a piece off the cube so it would be easier to rearrange larger pieces.
- a simple button to deactivate the sound
- Different geometric prisms instead of cubes and cubes within cubes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowmatic free?

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

### Is LVL free?

LVL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shadowmatic or LVL?

Shadowmatic is rated higher. Shadowmatic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while LVL averages 4.7 from 397 ratings.

### Do Shadowmatic or LVL have ads?

Neither Shadowmatic nor LVL shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shadowmatic or LVL?

Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, and LVL every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shadowmatic was updated on September 22, 2026 and LVL on June 11, 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.*