# Cupcake Mania™ vs Cupcakes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cupcakes at none against Cupcake Mania™'s 10. Cupcakes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Cupcake Mania™'s advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 63) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cupcake Mania™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Cupcakes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cupcakes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cupcake Mania™ has 1.5K ratings behind it against 63, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Cupcake Mania™'s written reviews are positive against 94% of Cupcakes's.

Cupcake Mania™ ships an update every 2 months, Cupcakes every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cupcake Mania™ | Cupcakes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-mania/id867833019/reviews) | **[4.7 (63 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcakes/id1037271729/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 63 |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | **93.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 197 MB | 170 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **8.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Storm8 Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/967465771) | [Magma Mobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/490634283) |

## 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


### Cupcakes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcakes/id1037271729)

Manage a bustling cupcake parlor, fulfilling custom orders against the clock. Unlock new ingredients and face daily challenges to grow your business and earn coins. Compete globally to become the best baker.

**Highlights:** Fulfill custom cupcake orders, Unlock 15 cupcake ingredients, 365 levels of increasing difficulty, Compete in worldwide rankings, Expand your cupcake business, Earn coins to upgrade ingredients

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cupcake Mania™ free?

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

### Is Cupcakes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cupcake Mania™ or Cupcakes?

Cupcakes is rated higher. Cupcake Mania™ averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Cupcakes averages 4.7 from 63 ratings.

### Do Cupcake Mania™ or Cupcakes have ads?

Cupcake Mania™ shows ads; Cupcakes does not.

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

Cupcake Mania™ ships an update every 2 months, and Cupcakes every 6 months. Most recently, Cupcake Mania™ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cupcakes on October 24, 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.*