Comparison

Punch Kidd vs Pac.io

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

Head to head
About

Punch Kidd

Experience a retro 8-bit platformer with frantic action, challenging puzzles, and ghostly enemies. Explore 16 epic levels with blocky pixel art and chiptune soundtracks, designed for a nostalgic gaming experience without interruptions or ads.

Highlights
  • Frantic air punches
  • Ghostly enemies
  • Miracle puzzles
  • 16 epic levels
  • Blocky pixel-art
  • Chirpy chiptune soundtracks
  • No ads or popups
Features
Read full description

▶ What are people saying about "Punch Kidd"?◀ [5/5] "App is awesome and brings back memories." -AUS [5/5] "I used to love the Mario and sonic games. I'm delighted to find an app that rivals their fun factor!" -U.K [5/5] "surprisingly true to the original." -AUS [5/5] "Brought back loads of childhood memories." -U.K [5/5] "...controls that work better than expected!" -USA [5/5] "The newest version of this game is totally cute and works perfectly." 5/5 -CA [4/5] "…very good and once you get the hang of the controls easy" - NZ "[The] controls are spot on!" -------------------------------------------- Punch Kidd lets you re-live your favourite game as a kid, complete with frantic air punches, ghostly enemies and miracle puzzles. Master a world of 16 epic, challenging and diverse levels. Blocky pixel-art and chirpy chiptune soundtracks of 80's consoles will bring this world to life - in your hand, all running natively and fullscreen on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch! Punch Kidd respects your time and will never interrupt you with annoying notifications asking you to play it. Punch Kidd contains absolutely NO ADS or popups - just pure fun on your terms. Hope you all love it :-) Notify me of any suggestions and/or bugs on Twitter @timtupman.

About

Pac.io

Engage in an addictive grid-battle by swiping to outsmart opponents and dominate the arena. Utilize a variety of power-ups and unlock unique skins to enhance your gameplay and rise through the ranks. Enjoy endless fun offline or online with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Swipe controls for movement
  • Strategic power-ups
  • Unlockable skins
  • Offline and online play
  • Intuitive gameplay
Features
Read full description

Pac.io – Swipe, Power Up, and Dominate the Grid! Dive into the ultimate io grid-battle! Swipe in four directions, outsmart your opponents, and become the King of the grid. Every move counts—strategize, dodge, and strike to stay on top! Unleash Epic Power-Ups Turn the tide of battle with incredible power-ups: Bomb, Ghost, 5x Multiplier, Magnet, Sword, Thunder, Freeze, Laser, and Speed Up. Eat bigger players, escape tricky situations, and crush your enemies with style. Use them wisely—power waits for no one! Unlock Legendary Skins Show off your legendary skins as you rise through the ranks. Each skin makes you look epic and adds extra flair while you dominate the battlefield. Game Highlights • Play anywhere—offline or online, anytime. • Smooth, intuitive swipe controls for lightning-fast moves. • Easy to learn, impossible to put down. • FREE to play with endless battles, power-ups, and epic fun! Swipe, power up, and conquer—become the ultimate legend in Pac.io!

Screenshots

Punch Kidd4 screens
Pac.io4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pac.io at Free against Punch Kidd's $1.99. Pac.io also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 16 months). Punch Kidd's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pac.io is free to download; Punch Kidd costs $1.99 up front. Punch Kidd sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pac.io sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Punch Kidd holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 131 and 297 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Punch Kidd's written reviews are positive against 54% of Pac.io's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Punch Kidd ships an update every 16 months, Pac.io fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Punch Kidd versus Pac.io: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPunch KiddPac.io
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (131 ratings) — better4.2 (297 ratings)
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews — better53.9% of reviews
Number of ratings131297 — better
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB139 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTim WebsterNomadic Bear Games

Customer experience

Punch Kidd

All ratings131 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews177 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral10.2%
Negative23.7%

Pac.io

All ratings297 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral4.7%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral10.1%
Negative36.0%

User reviews

Punch Kidd

From 131 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Nostalgic retro game experience
  • 👍 Faithful recreation of the original Alex Kidd game
  • 🎮 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🕹️ Responsive controls (for some users)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches, crashes, and freezing issues
  • 🎮 Unresponsive or inaccurate controls
  • 💰 Requirement to pay for extra levels/coins
  • 🔇 Lack of original soundtrack

Pac.io

From 297 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😍 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
  • 🎮 Fun Pac-Man inspired mechanics
  • 👥 Real multiplayer players (not just bots)
  • ⚡ Fast-paced and entertaining
  • 🏆 Leaderboard and competitive features

Room to improve

  • 📺 Excessive ads throughout gameplay
  • ⚠️ Ads interrupt and crash the game
  • 😤 Unfair difficulty and instant death
  • 🎮 Sliding controls instead of D-pad/joystick
  • 🤖 Questionable AI behavior and cheating

Bugs and requests

Punch Kidd

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezing or crashing
  • Inability to turn around or move backwards
  • Inconsistent behavior on different devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Save game progress feature
  • Option to adjust sound/music volume
  • Inclusion of original Janken (rock-paper-scissors) mini-game
  • Controller support

Pac.io

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Ads crash game at end of video
  • Game freezes after ad completion
  • Pink screen ad that cannot be closed
  • Instant death upon spawning
  • Players getting stuck behind walls
Show 2 more
  • Power pellet duration inconsistencies
  • Game glitching and crashing frequently

Requested features

9 requests
  • Arrow buttons or D-pad controls instead of sliding
  • Ad-free premium version for purchase
  • Ability to disable ads with WiFi off
  • Friend list and private room creation
  • Real player names instead of randomized ones
Show 4 more
  • Grace period or invincibility after spawn
  • Sound effects and audio
  • New items, levels, and game updates
  • Revert to original 2024 version

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Punch Kidd

One-time5
  • 100 Coins$0.99
  • Five Hundred Coins$1.99
  • Stage 2 Levels$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Thousand Coins$2.99
  • 10,000 Coins$9.99
10 purchases

Pac.io

One-time10
  • Small Coin Pack$0.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$4.99
  • Magnet$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Thunder$4.99
  • Sword$4.99
  • Big Coin Pack$9.99
  • No Ads$9.99
  • Large Coin Pack$19.99
  • Huge Coin Pack$49.99
  • Massive Coin Pack$99.99

Questions

Is Punch Kidd free?
Punch Kidd costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pac.io free?
Pac.io is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Punch Kidd or Pac.io?
Punch Kidd is rated higher. Punch Kidd averages 4.5 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while Pac.io averages 4.2 from 297 ratings.
Do Punch Kidd or Pac.io have ads?
Pac.io shows ads; Punch Kidd does not.
Which is updated more often, Punch Kidd or Pac.io?
Punch Kidd ships an update every 16 months, and Pac.io fortnightly. Most recently, Punch Kidd was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pac.io on September 21, 2026.

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