# The Guides vs Boxville

The clearest difference is update cadence: Boxville at every 9 days against The Guides's every 4 months. Boxville also leads on chart position (#182 vs unranked). The Guides's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 78%) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

The Guides costs $2.99 and Boxville $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Guides against 4.7 for Boxville. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 731 and 777 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 78% of Boxville's.

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Boxville every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Guides | Boxville |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$2.99** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-guides/id894022200/reviews)** | [4.7 (777 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 731 | **777** |
| Positive reviews | **87.7% of reviews** | 78.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#182** |
| Size | 45 MB | 1.2 GB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [2 Fountains LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1730752274) | [Triomatica Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605475849) |

## What reviewers say

### The Guides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-guides/id894022200)

Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles, Interactive ciphers, Fragmented story to unravel, Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary), Screenshot saving for clues, Distress support system

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
- 🧠 Exercises the mind
- 🎨 Minimalist and visually appealing
- 🕹️ Unique gameplay experience
- 🕵️‍♂️ Intriguing storyline and mystery

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤯 Puzzles can be overly complex or unclear
- 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile
- 🤔 Lack of clear instructions or guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
- App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles

**Requested features**

- More frequent updates and new content
- Improved UI and accessibility options
- Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling


### Boxville

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847)

**Currently charting:** #182 Top Paid · Puzzle (US App Store)

This animated adventure puzzle game features speechless cans navigating a city of boxes. Solve logic puzzles and riddles, explore a charming world, and uncover the mystery behind earthquakes. Enjoy a unique audio-visual experience, playable solo or with a friend.

**Highlights:** Animated film and puzzle game hybrid, Hand-drawn graphics and custom animations, Environmental quests and logical puzzles, Unique music for each scene, Wordless communication via speech bubbles, Playable solo or co-op

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
- 🎨 Beautiful art and animation
- 🎶 Lovely music
- 🧠 Challenging but logical puzzles
- 🤗 Charming characters and story

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Short game length
- 🔍 Tiny inventory items hard to see
- 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤖 Lack of hint system or ability to skip puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Progress reset after updates
- Inventory items disappearing
- Puzzle mechanics not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Longer game with more content
- Ability to use stylus/Apple Pencil
- Improved save/load system
- In-game hints or ability to skip puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Guides free?

The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Boxville free?

Boxville costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Guides or Boxville?

The Guides is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Boxville averages 4.7 from 777 ratings.

### Do The Guides or Boxville have ads?

Neither The Guides nor Boxville shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Guides or Boxville?

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and Boxville every 9 days. Most recently, The Guides was updated on November 1, 2026 and Boxville on November 3, 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.*