aa vs Stack Islands
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
aa
A minimalist, one-tap puzzle game that tests your timing and focus. Shoot dots into a spinning circle without collision across over 1,300 handcrafted levels. It's easy to learn but incredibly challenging to master.
- Over 1,300 handcrafted levels
- One-tap gameplay
- Offline play
- Challenge friends
- Daily streaks
- Minimalist design
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aa – The Original One-Tap Timing Puzzle Game. Simple, addictive, and timeless. Like Snake on an old flip phone, aa is a pure test of skill, focus, and timing. Over 50 million players have tapped, missed, and tapped again. Tap to shoot dots into the spinning circle without hitting the others. Easy to play. Very hard to master. One mistake and it's game over. Can you beat level 31? Most players can't. Level 35 is even harder. + Over 1,300 handcrafted levels + One-tap gameplay, no tutorials needed + Play offline, anywhere, anytime + Challenge friends and share your progress + Daily streaks to keep you coming back + Minimalist design, maximum addiction Whether you're on level 1 or level 1,300, aa keeps pulling you back. Handmade in Australia by General Adaptive Apps. If it's not published by us, it's not the real aa. Support indie devs. Loved in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, India and all around the world. A top game for over 10 years. Download aa now — see how far you can get. Tip: Restore old high scores via Menu > Help > Restore Scores (Game Center) Terms: generaladaptive.com/terms-privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Stack Islands
Build towering structures by stacking blocks to create unique islands. Enjoy a relaxing experience with charming visuals and challenge yourself with fun activities. Discover a hidden mystery while competing for the top global score.
- Stack blocks to create islands
- Relaxing and charming design
- Compete for global high scores
- Engage in fun activities
- Discover a hidden mystery
- No personal data tracking
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Stack up blocks as high as you can! See your creation come to life as a unique and beautiful island. ◮ Relaxing and beautiful, with charming design ◮ Compete for the best score in the world ◮ Challenge yourself with fun activities ◮ Discover a hidden mystery ◮ Safe and ethical, no tracking your personal info
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: aa at 3.9 against Stack Islands's 2.5. aa also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (11K vs 2). Stack Islands's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (80% vs 56%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Both are free to download. aa sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Stack Islands sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
aa holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: aa has 11K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of aa's written reviews are positive against 80% of Stack Islands's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
aa ships an update every 10 days, Stack Islands every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | aa | Stack Islands |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (11K ratings) — better | 2.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.1% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #174 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 231 MB | 145 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | General Adaptive Apps Pty Ltd | Dean Longmore |
Customer experience
aa
Stack Islands
Bugs and requests
aa
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unresponsive controls
- Incorrect ball size on newer devices
- Persistent issues with level 7 and 8
- Glitchy end-of-level screens
Requested features
4 requests- Skip level option
- Hint system
- Daily challenges
- Music/sound options
Stack Islands
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
aa
- aa Legend$2.991 Month
- aa Legend$19.991 Year
- Skip Level$0.49
- Skip 3 Levels$1.19
- Skip 5 Levels$1.79
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- Remove Ads$5.99
- Unlock All Levels$9.99
- Complete aa$14.99
Stack Islands
- Complete Game Unlock$0.99









