Comparison

Five Elements Chess vs Ninefall

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

Head to head
About

Five Elements Chess

Engage in strategic spell duels with this match-three game. It blends elemental theory with puzzle mechanics for a unique gameplay experience. Enjoy both local and online player-versus-player battles.

Highlights
  • Match-three gameplay
  • Five Elements theory integration
  • Deep strategy
  • Zen-inspired visuals
  • Local PvP
  • Online PvP
Features
Read full description

Five Elements Chess is a spell-duel game that combines the Five Elements theory and match-three gameplay. Features • Simple rules, deep strategy • Calm, Zen-inspired visual style • A balance of strategy and luck that anyone can enjoy • Local and online PvP

About

Ninefall

Features
Read full description

FREE TO START The first two worlds and the Daily Flip are free. One purchase unlocks everything else, forever: six more worlds, every secret, the full One-Shot ladder and the Sandbox. No ads, no tracking, no account. Every tile holds a number. Play one of yours onto it: the values add, the tile flips, and every lower-numbered neighbor topples after it, domino-chaining across the board. The catch: past 9, numbers roll over. 6 + 6 = 2. The goal: clear it all with a handful of numbers. That one rule hides the depth. Greed has a price, nines are fortresses, zeros are scalpels. And one perfect placement can flip the whole board in a single, glorious GRAND CASCADE. A JOURNEY OF EIGHT WORLDS 96 hand-calibrated levels teach the game by play, never by text. Stones block, seals lock, ice cracks, bombs level everything beside them, traps must never flip, wormholes carry your cascade across the board, and shifter tiles grow with every move you make. Collect a world's gems and its secret level appears. EVERY LEVEL CERTIFIED FAIR Each puzzle ships machine-verified: always solvable, par always exact, never cheap. Unlimited undo and a solver-powered hint are built in. Thinky, never punishing. THE DAILY FLIP One board, the whole world, every day. Keep your streak (one automatic repair a month, because life happens), and share your result without spoilers. FLOURISHES, NOT STARS Every level carries one optional master-goal: clear it in a single placement, never roll over, end on a 9. No grinding, no ratings, just elegance. MADE LIKE A TOY Chunky ceramic tiles that flip with real weight, synthesized marimba cascades that climb as your chain grows, haptics choreographed to every topple, Day and Night themes, Home Screen widgets for your streak, and in the large sizes today's Daily board and your numbers (extra-large on iOS 27). PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads, no tracking, no account. Playable offline.

Screenshots

Five Elements Chess4 screens
Ninefall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Five Elements Chess at weekly against Ninefall's every 2 weeks. Five Elements Chess also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Five Elements Chess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Ninefall sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Five Elements Chess ships an update weekly, Ninefall every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Five Elements Chess versus Ninefall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive Elements ChessNinefall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (103 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings103 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size280 MB6 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMing GaoThomas Sobstyl

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Five Elements Chess

One-time3
  • Time Skin Pack$1.99
  • Five Elements Chess full game$3.99
  • Seasons Skin Pack$3.99
1 purchases

Ninefall

One-time1
  • Full game, forever$4.99

Questions

Is Five Elements Chess free?
Five Elements Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ninefall free?
Ninefall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Five Elements Chess or Ninefall have ads?
Neither Five Elements Chess nor Ninefall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Five Elements Chess or Ninefall?
Five Elements Chess ships an update weekly, and Ninefall every 2 weeks. Most recently, Five Elements Chess was updated on November 1, 2026 and Ninefall on October 28, 2026.

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