Comparison

Threes! vs AETHERMERE

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

Head to head
About

Threes!

A captivating number-sliding puzzle game that offers an endless challenge. Swipe to combine matching numbers, grow your score, and discover adorable characters. This is a complete, buy-once experience with no in-app purchases or ads.

Highlights
  • Number sliding puzzle gameplay
  • Endless challenge
  • Adorable characters
  • Heart-warming soundtrack
  • No in-app purchases
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. This is the buy-once-play-forever version. ³ Apple Game of the Year 2014!! ³ Apple Design Award 2014 Winner ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “You might as well delete Candy Crush Saga now.” ~ Pocket Gamer “It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers.” ~ Joystiq “It’s the kind of game that embosses the rules on your brain within 30 seconds, but then compels you to spend the next two hours playing.” ~ Pocket Tactics ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Explore our little game’s deep challenge and grow your mind beyond imagination. Optimized for iOS8 and human brains. Universal app for iPhone and iPads. ³ Endless challenge from one simple game mode ³ An endearing cast of characters ³ A heart-warming soundtrack ³ No IAP - Threes is a complete experience the moment you download it Honorably mentioned for Excellence in Design by the Independent Games Festival. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ From the makers of PUZZLEJUICE: ³ Designed by Asher Vollmer ³ Illustrated by Greg Wohlwend (Ridiculous Fishing, Hundreds) ³ Scored by Jimmy Hinson (Black Ops 2, Mass Effect 2) ³ Optimized by Hidden Variable (Bag It!, Tic Tactics) ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Threes grows with you and you’ll grow with Threes.

About

AETHERMERE

Features
Read full description

The old magic was sealed into cards. No ads. No gacha. No data collection. In Aethermere, the old magic — the arcana — was bound into playing cards. The Emperor, meaning to hold that power alone, seized every card he could find and outlawed the duels themselves. You are the grandchild of an exiled master. All you have is the worn deck your grandfather Aldric left behind. The road begins in a tavern at the edge of the world. ■ Thirty seconds to learn. A lifetime to read. - Five cards in hand; each carries four numbers, one per edge - Place a card, and any neighbour whose facing number is lower flips to your colour - When the ninth square fills, the colour holding the most wins That is the whole rule. The endgame is still a duel of two or three moves ahead. ■ Take them, and keep them Beat a rival and one card leaves their hand for yours. Fifty-four arcana, drawn as Mucha-style gold filigree, waiting to be collected. ■ Ten rivals From a deserter who fled the empire to the Emperor on his throne. Ten stages that tighten and loosen by turns, ending with an AI that reads several moves deep. ■ The board outlasts the story - Emperor's Gauntlet — the hardest run, unlocked only by clearing stage 10 - Daily Duel — twelve cards chosen by the date; everyone plays the same board - Two Players — pass the phone and sit across from each other, no network - Rule variants — Echo, Balance, Cascade and Open, combined however you like ■ What we promise - No ads — no banners, no rewarded video - No gacha — the match is decided by reading the board, not by spending - One purchase, and that is all — stages 1-3 free, the rest for a single payment - No data collection — no analytics SDK, no account, nowhere to send anything (we run no server) - Plays offline — finish the whole game in airplane mode; the network is needed only to buy Take the cards back. --- IVYXON Games (Polaris LLC) Privacy policy: https://games.ivyxon.com/aethermere-privacy

Screenshots

Threes!4 screens
AETHERMERE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AETHERMERE at Free against Threes!'s $5.99. AETHERMERE also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Threes!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#21 vs unranked). On ads 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

AETHERMERE is free to download; Threes! costs $5.99 up front. AETHERMERE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Threes! asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Threes! ships an update every 3 weeks, AETHERMERE every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Threes! versus AETHERMERE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThrees!AETHERMERE
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings3K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#21 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSirvo LLCPolaris LLC

Bugs and requests

Threes!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch for some users
  • Unresponsive controls and swipe detection issues
  • Syncing problems with Game Center

Requested features

4 requests
  • Undo/redo functionality
  • Customizable difficulty levels
  • Ability to save/load game progress
  • Leaderboards and achievements

AETHERMERE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Threes!

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

AETHERMERE

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Threes! free?
Threes! costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AETHERMERE free?
AETHERMERE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Threes! or AETHERMERE have ads?
Neither Threes! nor AETHERMERE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Threes! or AETHERMERE?
Threes! ships an update every 3 weeks, and AETHERMERE every 5 days. Most recently, Threes! was updated on November 6, 2026 and AETHERMERE on November 6, 2026.

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