Comparison

Symbol Link vs Shift Light Puzzle

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

Head to head
About

Symbol Link

This puzzle game challenges you to connect matching symbols with a single path. It features a vast number of puzzles and challenges, with unique mechanics like autolinks and an advanced scoring system. Designed by the creator of Tetris, it offers stylish visuals and audio.

Highlights
  • 1650 puzzles
  • 300 challenges
  • 3 puzzle packs by Tetris author
  • Autolinks feature
  • Advanced score system
  • Hints and guides
Features
Read full description

TETRIS® 40 YEARS: This game designed by Tetris® creator. Symbol Link designed by Tetris author Alexey Pajitnov is a novel take based on a well-known Number Link and Flow game mechanics. !!! Any in-game purchase makes the game ads-free !!! Solve puzzles pairing up matching symbols with a single path. Team up with your iPhone or iPad artificial intelligence to score points by drawing autolinks – two symbols automatically connected when definite path between them exists. Main Symbol Link features: •1650 puzzles; •300 challenges of 5 different types; •3 puzzle packs braincrafted by Tetris author Alexey Pajitnov; •Stylish visuals, music and sound effects. Go higher with unique Symbol Link features: •Puzzle boards of hundred different sizes and shapes; •Autolinks to save your time but challenge you more; •Advanced score system thoroughly measuring every move you play and quality of final solution; •Hints and guides displaying previous solutions to assist your play. Link to gameplay video: http://youtu.be/eb1Ic1G_ZLw Link to game page at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/symlink

About

Shift Light Puzzle

Rotate tiles to connect power, connectors, and bulbs and make them glow. This puzzle game offers thousands of levels with increasing complexity, including color mixing and wrapping mechanics. Enjoy a relaxing yet challenging experience with a visually appealing interface and sound effects.

Highlights
  • Rotate tiles to connect circuits
  • Light up all bulbs to win
  • 3,500+ challenging levels
  • Color mixing and wrapping modes
  • Multiple board sizes
  • Detailed stats tracking
Read full description

The objective of Shift is to light the bulbs by shifting tiles on the game board. Simply tap the power, connector and bulb tiles to complete a link. The level is won when all bulbs are glowing! Blending colors, larger boards and mix & wrap play guarantee exciting and challenging game play. Game Content - 3,500 levels (more on the way) - 10 board sizes ranging from 5x5 to 14x14 - Detailed stats tracking Challenge Modes - Regular: play single colors - Mix: mix colors to form new ones - Wrap: play colors from one side of the board to the opposite side Design - Vibrant yet intuitive colors - Simple and visual appealing user interface - Fun bubbly sound effects - Play at your own pace This sponsored app is available free on the App Store. For support and answers to frequently asked questions, head over to http://www.shiftlightpuzzle.com/support.html. Shift Light Puzzle is built in the USA by the team at Solebon LLC (http://www.solebon.com).

Screenshots

Symbol Link4 screens
Shift Light Puzzle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shift Light Puzzle at 4.7 against Symbol Link's 4.5. Shift Light Puzzle also leads on ratings volume (793 vs 63) and review sentiment (76% vs 66%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Symbol Link sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Shift Light Puzzle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shift Light Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shift Light Puzzle has 793 ratings behind it against 63, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Symbol Link's written reviews are positive against 76% of Shift Light Puzzle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Symbol Link ships an update every 4 months, Shift Light Puzzle every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Symbol Link versus Shift Light Puzzle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSymbol LinkShift Light Puzzle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (63 ratings)4.7 (793 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.7% of reviews76.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings63793 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB59 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperANDREY NOVIKOVSolebon LLC

Customer experience

Symbol Link

All ratings63 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive65.7%
Neutral9.8%
Negative24.5%

Shift Light Puzzle

All ratings793 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral3.8%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral14.7%
Negative8.8%

User reviews

Symbol Link

From 63 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧩 Innovative puzzle mechanics with auto-complete feature
  • 🎨 Beautiful minimalist design and UI
  • 🎵 Soothing music and sound design
  • 😌 Relaxing and engaging gameplay
  • 🧠 Challenging and thought-provoking puzzles

Room to improve

  • 📺 Excessive and intrusive full-screen ads
  • 💰 Ads appear after nearly every level
  • 🎯 Ads positioned over continue/restart buttons causing accidental clicks
  • ❌ Ad removal purchase doesn't work properly
  • 📖 Unclear game instructions and mechanics

Shift Light Puzzle

From 793 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging and challenging
  • 💡 Innovative puzzle game
  • 🚀 Fun and addictive
  • 👍 Enjoyable and gentle
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and compatibility issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Difficulty progression issues
  • 👎 Lack of audio options

Bugs and requests

Symbol Link

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App freezes on tutorial/how-to screen with unresponsive controls
  • Settings menu freezes on iPhone 5
  • App force quits unexpectedly
  • Occasional line freezing during gameplay
  • Accidental App Store redirects from ad clicks
Show 3 more
  • Ad removal in-app purchase not functioning
  • Notification center alerts appearing despite being disabled
  • Hint button too small and easily triggered accidentally

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more free puzzle packs
  • Implement ad-free version with reasonable pricing
  • Provide clearer in-game tutorials and instructions
  • Add difficulty ratings for puzzle packs before purchase
  • Include confirmation dialog before using hints
Show 5 more
  • Add ability to purchase hints
  • Improve hint button placement to avoid accidental clicks
  • Add volume sliders for sound effects
  • Reduce frequency of ads or limit to banner ads only
  • Add Chromecast support

Shift Light Puzzle

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashing on certain devices
  • Inability to save progress

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to specify difficulty level
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Hints or solutions for advanced levels
  • Customizable background music/sounds

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Symbol Link

One-time7
  • Pack of 12 Hints$1.99
  • Alexey's Pack II$1.99
  • Alexey's Pack III$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Puzzle Pack IV$1.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Puzzle Pack V$1.99
  • Puzzle Pack VI$1.99
1 purchases

Shift Light Puzzle

One-time1
  • PREMIUM UPGRADE$4.99

Questions

Is Symbol Link free?
Symbol Link is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift Light Puzzle free?
Shift Light Puzzle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Symbol Link or Shift Light Puzzle?
Shift Light Puzzle is rated higher. Symbol Link averages 4.5 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while Shift Light Puzzle averages 4.7 from 793 ratings.
Do Symbol Link or Shift Light Puzzle have ads?
Both Symbol Link and Shift Light Puzzle show ads.
Which is updated more often, Symbol Link or Shift Light Puzzle?
Symbol Link ships an update every 4 months, and Shift Light Puzzle every 6 months. Most recently, Symbol Link was updated on October 20, 2026 and Shift Light Puzzle on October 16, 2026.

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