# Cupcake Mania™ vs Crafty Candy

The clearest difference is rating: Crafty Candy at 4.7 against Cupcake Mania™'s 4.3. Crafty Candy also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 54%) and ratings volume (16K vs 1.5K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cupcake Mania™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Crafty Candy sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crafty Candy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crafty Candy has 16K ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Cupcake Mania™'s written reviews are positive against 74% of Crafty Candy's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cupcake Mania™ | Crafty Candy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-mania/id867833019/reviews) | **[4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crafty-candy/id1031228862/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | 54.0% of reviews | **73.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 197 MB | 220 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Storm8 Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/967465771) | [Outplay Entertainment Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/468711596) |

## What reviewers say

### Cupcake Mania™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-mania/id867833019)

Embark on a sweet puzzle adventure matching delicious pastries to win. Fend off a hungry bear and use powerful boosts to conquer over 500 levels. Compete with friends for the highest score in this free-to-play game.

**Highlights:** Match and collect pastries, Over 500 levels, Fend off Bruno the Bear, Earn potent boosts, Create big matches for bonuses, Challenge Facebook friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 22 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Variety Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gems | $5.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 530 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1400 Gems | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎢 Exciting gameplay
- 🎨 Visually appealing
- ⏱️ Enjoyable time-passer
- 💪 Challenging levels
- 🕹️ Old-school fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📺 Excessive ads and intrusive pop-ups
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔄 Lack of progress sync and game resets
- 🔍 Difficult to earn rewards and gems

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashing after winning a level
- Screen orientation issues on newer devices
- Rewards not being awarded properly
- Levels becoming unbeatable due to glitches
- Saved progress not loading correctly

**Requested features**

- More frequent level updates
- Ability to reset progress and start over
- Better reward system and more free lives
- Improved ad experience and optional ad-free version
- Syncing progress across devices


### Crafty Candy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crafty-candy/id1031228862)

Embark on a magical match-3 puzzle adventure filled with thousands of delicious levels. Join an apprentice witch and her kitten through an enchanted land of sweet treats, crafting spells and outwitting tricky witches. Unlock new looks and enjoy a candylicious world.

**Highlights:** Thousands of fun levels, Candylicious world with sweet treats, Unlock new looks, Craft powerful spells, Magical Candy battles, Facebook progress sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| S Coin Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $2.99 | one-time |
| M Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $5.99 | one-time |
| L Coin Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| 17% Extra Stash | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $12.99 | one-time |
| XL Coin Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Special offer | $29.99 | one-time |
| XXL Coin Pack | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing game
- 🎨 Great graphics
- 🕹️ Fun and challenging
- 🕰️ Addictive gameplay
- 🎁 Generous with free boosts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 💰 Difficult to progress without spending money
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤯 Levels become too difficult
- 🤖 Unfair AI in some levels

**Reported bugs**

- Game resets progress
- Free boosts not working
- Levels not loading properly
- Ads causing crashes
- Purchases not registering

**Requested features**

- More level variety
- Ability to undo moves
- Offline play mode
- More customization options
- Better rewards system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cupcake Mania™ free?

Cupcake Mania™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Crafty Candy free?

Crafty Candy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Cupcake Mania™ or Crafty Candy?

Crafty Candy is rated higher. Cupcake Mania™ averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Crafty Candy averages 4.7 from 16K ratings.

### Do Cupcake Mania™ or Crafty Candy have ads?

Both Cupcake Mania™ and Crafty Candy show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cupcake Mania™ or Crafty Candy?

Cupcake Mania™ ships an update every 2 months, and Crafty Candy every 2 months. Most recently, Cupcake Mania™ was updated on October 18, 2026 and Crafty Candy on October 19, 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.*