# Pop the Lock vs Pineapple Pen

The clearest difference is ads: Pop the Lock at none against Pineapple Pen's shown. Pop the Lock also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Pineapple Pen's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (71% vs 56%). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pop the Lock sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Pineapple Pen sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pineapple Pen holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.4K and 6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Pop the Lock's written reviews are positive against 71% of Pineapple Pen's.

Pop the Lock ships an update every 5 days, Pineapple Pen fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pop the Lock | Pineapple Pen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (3.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pop-the-lock/id979100082/reviews) | **[4.3 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pineapple-pen/id1159035153/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3.4K | **6K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.0% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 100 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Simple Machine, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/440559596) | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) |

## What reviewers say

### Pop the Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pop-the-lock/id979100082)

Test your reflexes and timing by tapping in sequence to crack codes and pop locks. Be careful not to make a mistake, or you'll have to restart your attempt. See how many locks you can successfully pop.

**Highlights:** Tap in sequence, Crack codes, Pop locks, Restart on mistake, Test reflexes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Couple of Stars | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bunch of Stars | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Stars | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 😊 Fun and addictive
- 🎨 Charming minimalist design
- ⏱️ Good time killer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💢 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🕹️ Repetitive gameplay
- 🔍 Lack of difficulty progression

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes on launch
- Unresponsive controls
- Incorrect scoring/registration
- Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Endless/high score mode
- More customization options
- Difficulty scaling
- Improved ad implementation


### Pineapple Pen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pineapple-pen/id1159035153)

A simple arcade game where players tap to launch pens at fruits. Aim for the perfect center hit twice in a row for bonus points and challenge friends to see who is the pen master.

**Highlights:** Tap to throw pens, Hit pineapples and apples, Perfect center hit bonus, Challenge friends, Simple arcade gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special Offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 2000 coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game
- 🍍🖊 Pineapple pen and apple pen references
- ✨ Satisfying gameplay
- 🕹️ Addictive and entertaining
- 🎨 Customizable pens and themes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 In-app purchases to remove ads
- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 📢 Annoying voice/sound effects
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
- 🔋 Game performance issues (e.g. lags, overheating)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to restore in-app purchases
- Crashes when trying to collect big pineapple
- Inconsistent pen firing speed
- Glitches causing app to close unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- More pens and themes to unlock
- Difficulty settings or levels
- Ability to customize the character/voice
- Checkpoints or progress saving
- Leaderboards or multiplayer mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pop the Lock free?

Pop the Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pineapple Pen free?

Pineapple Pen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pop the Lock or Pineapple Pen?

Pineapple Pen is rated higher. Pop the Lock averages 4.1 out of 5 from 3.4K ratings, while Pineapple Pen averages 4.3 from 6K ratings.

### Do Pop the Lock or Pineapple Pen have ads?

Pineapple Pen shows ads; Pop the Lock does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pop the Lock or Pineapple Pen?

Pop the Lock ships an update every 5 days, and Pineapple Pen fortnightly. Most recently, Pop the Lock was updated on November 6, 2026 and Pineapple Pen on November 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*