On the line vs Blackbox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
On the line
Control your finger in a thrilling endless runner where you must stay on a constantly generated line. Unlock new game modes and challenges by completing objectives. Compete with friends on global leaderboards.
- Finger as main character
- Generated mazes
- Score comparison with monuments
- Unlockable game modes
- Game Center leaderboards
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On the line is a fast paced endless runner and for the first time your finger is the main character! It’s never been so easy to play, you just have to hold your finger on the screen and try to stay on the line as long as possible… - Generated maze, each time you play it's different. - Compare the distance travelled with world famous monuments heights. - Complete monuments to unlock new game modes, objectives and background colors. - Compare your score with friend on the game center leaderboard
Blackbox
This puzzle game challenges you to solve intricate problems without touching the screen. It utilizes minimalistic visual cues, sonic interfaces, and haptic feedback to guide you through unique challenges that require thinking outside the box. Discover a new way to interact with your device and prove your cleverness.
- Touchless gameplay
- Minimalistic visual clues
- Sonic interfaces
- Haptic feedback
- External puzzle solving
- Easter eggs
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So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box. Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again. Think you’re clever? Prove it. (Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.) ■
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Blackbox at Free against On the line's $0.99. Blackbox also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (109K vs 140). On the line's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Blackbox is free to download; On the line costs $0.99 up front. On the line sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Blackbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for On the line against 4.8 for Blackbox. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackbox has 109K ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of On the line's written reviews are positive against 93% of Blackbox's.
On the line ships an update every 4 months, Blackbox every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | On the line | Blackbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (140 ratings) | 4.8 (109K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.6% of reviews | 92.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 140 | 109K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #173 | #34 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 209 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Kevin Choteau | Shapes and Stories LLC |
Customer experience
On the line
Blackbox
User reviews
On the line
From 140 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 🎵 Excellent soundtrack and audio design
- 👍 Simple and intuitive mechanics
- 🎯 Perfect for casual gaming and time-filling
- 💡 Innovative and unique concept
Room to improve
- 🐛 Hit detection inaccuracy
- 🎨 Lacks Retina display support
- 😴 Becomes repetitive over time
- ⚠️ Aggressive music (subjective)
- 🎮 Limited obstacle variety
Blackbox
From 109K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Unique and creative gameplay
- 🤔 Challenges users to think outside the box
- 😄 Humorous and witty comments
- 🔑 Utilizes phone features in innovative ways
Room to improve
- 🤯 Extremely challenging puzzles
- 💰 Expensive for additional content
- 🤖 Concerns about app accessing device permissions
- 🚗 Puzzles requiring travel/location are inaccessible for some
Bugs and requests
On the line
Reported bugs
10 issues- False collision detection when finger not touching edges
- Moving obstacles don't accelerate with game speed
- Game continues when paused, causing unfair deaths
- Progress lost after app updates
- Game runs extremely slow after recent updates
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- Long UDK startup animation delay
- Lag occurring around 160cm mark
- Download failures on certain devices
- Leaderboard shows 'No Items' instead of rankings
- Inconsistent obstacle speed in extreme mode
Requested features
8 requests- More diverse obstacle patterns and track pieces
- Retina display support for sharper graphics
- Adjustable game screen size for different devices
- Additional measurement units besides centimeters
- Ability to skip certain level designs
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Pink background option
- Faster game speed progression
- Better visual feedback for failed attempts
Blackbox
Reported bugs
2 issues- Hints not working as expected
- Progress reset after app update
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to earn hint credits through watching ads
- Include more free puzzles
- Improve accessibility for users with limited mobility
- Provide better guidance and instructions for puzzles
In-app purchases
On the line
- Unlock all game modes$1.99
Blackbox
- Tiny Hint Pack$1.19
- Small Hint Pack$2.39
- Erudite Pack$2.99
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- Push Pack$2.99
- Coffee for Ryan$4.49
- Basic Pack$4.99
- Medium Hint Pack$5.00
- All Knowing Pack$7.99
- Large Hint Pack$10.00
- Extra Large Hint Pack$20.00









