Comparison

Blackbox vs Little Alchemy 2

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

Head to head
About

Blackbox

This puzzle game challenges you to solve intricate problems without touching the screen. It utilizes minimalistic visual cues, sonic interfaces, and haptic feedback to guide you through unique challenges that require thinking outside the box. Discover a new way to interact with your device and prove your cleverness.

Highlights
  • Touchless gameplay
  • Minimalistic visual clues
  • Sonic interfaces
  • Haptic feedback
  • External puzzle solving
  • Easter eggs
Features
Read full description

So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box. Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again. Think you’re clever? Prove it. (Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.) ■

About

Little Alchemy 2

Combine elements to create new items and discover the world. This crafting game offers a vast library of discoverable items with unique descriptions and a vibrant art style. Explore your progress through an in-game encyclopedia.

Highlights
  • Combine elements to create new items
  • Discover a vast library of items
  • Vibrant art style
  • Original soundtrack
  • In-game encyclopedia
  • Explore item connections
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Little Alchemy, the crafting game enjoyed by millions of players around the world, is back with more items, cool new art style and lovely music! Mix items and create the world from scratch! Discover exciting items accompanied by funny descriptions and lose yourself exploring the huge, new library! Little Alchemy 2 features: A new library with completely redesigned item connections. Vibrant art style. Original soundtrack. An in-game encyclopedia with cool item descriptions and a convenient way to explore your progress. What are you waiting for? The entire world must be discovered!

Screenshots

Blackbox4 screens
Little Alchemy 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Blackbox at none against Little Alchemy 2's shown. Blackbox also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (93% vs 77%). Little Alchemy 2's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Blackbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Little Alchemy 2 sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blackbox holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackbox has 109K ratings behind it against 11K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Blackbox's written reviews are positive against 77% of Little Alchemy 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blackbox ships an update every 9 days, Little Alchemy 2 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Blackbox versus Little Alchemy 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlackboxLittle Alchemy 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (109K ratings) — better4.6 (11K ratings)
Positive reviews92.6% of reviews — better76.8% of reviews
Number of ratings109K — better11K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#31 — better#126
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size209 MB62 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperShapes and Stories LLCJakub Koziol

Customer experience

Blackbox

All ratings108,586 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews4,662 reviews
Positive92.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.8%

Little Alchemy 2

All ratings11,322 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews573 reviews
Positive76.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative14.1%

User reviews

Blackbox

From 109K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Unique and creative gameplay
  • 🤔 Challenges users to think outside the box
  • 😄 Humorous and witty comments
  • 🔑 Utilizes phone features in innovative ways

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Extremely challenging puzzles
  • 💰 Expensive for additional content
  • 🤖 Concerns about app accessing device permissions
  • 🚗 Puzzles requiring travel/location are inaccessible for some

Little Alchemy 2

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🤩 Fun and addictive
  • 💡 Clever combinations
  • 🎨 Nice designs
  • 🧠 Educational and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Progress resets/disappears
  • 🔍 Difficult to find items in large list
  • 💰 Myths and Monsters pack too expensive
  • 🤔 Gets repetitive/boring over time

Bugs and requests

Blackbox

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Hints not working as expected
  • Progress reset after app update

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to earn hint credits through watching ads
  • Include more free puzzles
  • Improve accessibility for users with limited mobility
  • Provide better guidance and instructions for puzzles

Little Alchemy 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress resets randomly
  • Purchased content disappears
  • Scrolling issues
  • Certain combinations not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more items and combinations
  • Improve hint system
  • Add ability to save/restore progress
  • Organize items into categories
  • Add more fantasy/creative elements

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Blackbox

One-time10
  • Tiny Hint Pack$1.19
  • Small Hint Pack$2.39
  • Erudite Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Push Pack$2.99
  • Coffee for Ryan$4.49
  • Basic Pack$4.99
  • Medium Hint Pack$5.00
  • All Knowing Pack$7.99
  • Large Hint Pack$10.00
  • Extra Large Hint Pack$20.00
4 purchases

Little Alchemy 2

One-time4
  • Bundle of 2 Research Points$0.99
  • Bundle of 8 Research Points$2.99
  • Myths and Monsters$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Bundle of 16 Research Points$4.99

Questions

Is Blackbox free?
Blackbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Little Alchemy 2 free?
Little Alchemy 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Blackbox or Little Alchemy 2?
Blackbox is rated higher. Blackbox averages 4.8 out of 5 from 109K ratings, while Little Alchemy 2 averages 4.6 from 11K ratings.
Do Blackbox or Little Alchemy 2 have ads?
Little Alchemy 2 shows ads; Blackbox does not.
Which is updated more often, Blackbox or Little Alchemy 2?
Blackbox ships an update every 9 days, and Little Alchemy 2 every 4 months. Most recently, Blackbox was updated on September 25, 2026 and Little Alchemy 2 on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Blackbox or Little Alchemy 2?
Blackbox currently peaks at #31 in the App Store charts, and Little Alchemy 2 at #126. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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