Comparison

iO vs Notebook Artillery

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

Head to head
About

iO

A physics-based platformer where you manipulate size, speed, and momentum to solve over 225 challenging mazes. Features unique gameplay mechanics like portals and inverted gravity, with global leaderboards for competitive play.

Highlights
  • Size, weight, and mass manipulation
  • Over 225 challenging mazes
  • Portals and inverted gravity
  • Global leaderboards
  • Unlockable achievements
  • Intuitive touch controls
Features
Read full description

** Global Game Jam 2012 Winner ** ** IndieCade Festival 2014 Finalist ** ** GDC Best In Play 2015 - Honorable Mention ** TouchArcade: 4 out of 5 - "For those who enjoy playing with balls, iO has plenty to show you." AppleNApps: 4 out of 5 - "iO is a finely crafted platformer that keeps things fresh making it well worth picking up." Gamezebo: 4 out of 5 - "It's packed with unique style and mechanics that give it an edge over similar titles." iO - A Physics Platformer A physics platformer about size, speed and momentum unlike anything you’ve ever seen before! Grow, shrink, roll, leap and climb in this unique puzzler featuring over 225 challenging mazes one-of-a-kind gameplay that includes portals, inverted gravity, vehicles and more! Share your times with friends on the global leaderboards and become a time/space legend! FEATURES - Play with size, weight and mass to reach the exit as fast as possible! - Over 225 puzzles to solve and more coming in future updates. - Intuitive touch controls. - Make new friends and compete against old ones on the Global Leaderboards. - Unlock new achievements. - Unique and wide variety of gameplay mechanics including gravity manipulation, portals, vehicles and more! - Retro-futuristic visuals.

About

Notebook Artillery

Engage in strategic cannon combat with this arcade-simulation-action game. Adjust firing angle and powder to hit targets or opponents, accounting for wind and random stage layouts. Features hand-drawn art and multiple game modes.

Highlights
  • Adjust firing angle and powder
  • Account for wind and stage layouts
  • Solo target practice mode
  • CPU opponent
  • Local multiplayer vs mode
  • Hand-drawn game art
  • Unlockable stickers
Features
Read full description

Apple called it "sketchy — in a good way." Multiple-time Game of the Day in 80+ countries. Nintendo Force gave it 8.5/10. And it started as a doodle. Once upon a time in a middle school computer lab, a student ignored every assignment for an entire semester to fire cannons at a friend. That student grew up, spent 20 years making games professionally, and eventually decided the world needed a proper love letter to that wasted time. This is it. Notebook Artillery is a hand-drawn artillery game inspired by the classic Mac game that got confiscated off school computers everywhere. Set your angle. Load your powder. Fire. Account for the wind. Try not to hit your own tower. Play your way: Solo target practice — break floating targets across randomly generated stages VS CPU — take on a computer opponent Local multiplayer — challenge someone in the same room What makes it feel different: Every frame hand-drawn in Procreate — ruled lines, coil binding, pencil textures, the whole notebook aesthetic Trees splinter. Towers explode. Cannonballs collide mid-air. Wind changes everything. Read the flag. Use your shot trails. Unlock stickers by pulling off feats — first-shot eliminations, mid-air collisions, and yes, accidentally destroying your own tower Randomly generated stages mean no two games play the same Made by one person, with audio by Kevin Samuels and Switch/console ports by PolyCrunch Games. No AI tools were used in making this game. All art hand-drawn. Developed in GameMaker Studio.

Screenshots

iO4 screens
Notebook Artillery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iO at Free against Notebook Artillery's $0.99. iO also leads on ads (none vs shown). Notebook Artillery's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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

iO is free to download; Notebook Artillery costs $0.99 up front. iO sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Notebook Artillery asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notebook Artillery holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook Artillery has 148 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of iO's written reviews are positive against 82% of Notebook Artillery's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iO ships an update every 6 weeks, Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
iO versus Notebook Artillery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriONotebook Artillery
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.7 (19 ratings)4.5 (148 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.1% of reviews81.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19148 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size466 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGamious B.V.Austin Ivansmith

Customer experience

iO

All ratings19 ratings
Positive63.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative31.6%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive71.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative25.0%

Notebook Artillery

All ratings148 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews87 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral10.3%
Negative8.0%

Bugs and requests

iO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notebook Artillery

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 12 and 13 on iPad Pro
  • Inconsistent animation speeds

Requested features

7 requests
  • Online multiplayer
  • Campaign mode with objectives
  • Weapon/tower upgrades
  • Customization options
  • Special game modes (speed run, boss battles, etc.)
Show 2 more
  • Ability to save and continue games
  • Detailed badge/achievement system

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iO

One-time1
  • Remove all advertisements$0.99
None

Notebook Artillery

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iO free?
iO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notebook Artillery free?
Notebook Artillery costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iO or Notebook Artillery?
Notebook Artillery is rated higher. iO averages 3.7 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Notebook Artillery averages 4.5 from 148 ratings.
Do iO or Notebook Artillery have ads?
Notebook Artillery shows ads; iO does not.
Which is updated more often, iO or Notebook Artillery?
iO ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. Most recently, iO was updated on June 9, 2026 and Notebook Artillery on October 2, 2026.

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