Comparison

Puzzle Day vs Bullpen

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

Head to head
About

Puzzle Day

Discover a growing collection of unique, bite-sized puzzles added weekly. Enjoy daily challenges, quick gameplay, and no account required. Support the developer by watching ads.

Highlights
  • Unique daily and weekly puzzles
  • Multiple puzzle types (Numby, Pathwords, Burbs, Hoots)
  • Daily challenge mode
  • No account or login required
  • Quick and satisfying gameplay
  • New puzzles added regularly
Features
Read full description

Puzzle Day is a growing collection of bite-sized puzzles—fun, weird, and refreshingly different. Every week, a new one is added. Every day, a fresh challenge awaits. Hi, I’m Kurt. I’m a game designer and a dad. A few months ago, I lost my job. Instead of panicking (okay, I panicked a little), I decided to make you the best puzzle game on the planet! Puzzle Day is my way of turning that gamble into something real—one puzzle at a time. It’s a home for all the quirky little puzzle ideas I’ve had over the years but never got to share. Some are clever. Some are silly. Some are surprisingly tricky. All of them are built with care. Here’s what you’ll find inside: • Numby – The first of many! A clever little number-matching game with daily and random modes • Pathwords – Each words last letter is the next words first letter ... it's ... forget it, just try it • Burbs – Stranger Things meets Sudoku in this simple game of logic and deduction • Hoots – The smallest possible match 3 game you've ever played. It's fast, it's cute, and it's a hoot • New puzzle (almost) every week – I’m building and releasing new games right inside the app • Daily mode – Play once a day, share your score, and try to beat your friends • No accounts or logins – Just open and play • Quick and satisfying – Most puzzles take just a few minutes, but you’ll want to replay • Fun for your brain, not your wallet – You can support the app by watching ads (thank you!) and enjoy it for free Why I'm Doing This This app isn’t backed by a big company. It’s just me, in my home, designing, coding, testing, and sharing games. I’m also sharing the journey of trying to make $100K in 100 days by building indie games and posting about it on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (@kurtiswow). Every ad you watch, puzzle you share, or kind comment you leave helps me get a little closer to that goal—and helps me support my family doing what I love. Coming Soon: More puzzle types (word, logic, grid-based, memory, timing) Achievements, streaks, and unlockables Special limited-time puzzles and events Your feedback! I’m reading everything and building features based on what players ask for Thanks for checking out Puzzle Day. I hope these little puzzles brighten your day the way building them brightens mine. — Kurt Follow the journey: @kurtiswow on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube

About

Bullpen

This logic puzzle game combines elements of Sudoku and Minesweeper. Place bulls according to specific rules, with increasing difficulty options. Enjoy daily challenges and an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Place one bull per pen, row, and column
  • Bulls cannot touch each other (diagonally included)
  • Hard mode: two bulls per pen, row, and column
  • Ad-free and privacy-focused gameplay
  • Daily new puzzles
  • Pro Mode with 5,000+ levels and Free Play
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Bullpen – a clean, logic-based puzzle game where every bull must be placed just right. It's like Sudoku meets Minesweeper. Simple Rules, Deep Strategy – Place one bull per pen, row, and column – Bulls cannot touch each other, even diagonally – For extra difficulty, hard mode requires two bulls per pen, row, and column Ad-Free & Privacy-Focused – Enjoy uninterrupted gameplay with no ads and complete data privacy – Also doesn't require internet to play Daily Puzzles – New puzzles every day to keep your mind engaged – See if you can get the fastest time Pro Mode – Access all 5,000 levels + unlock Free Play mode – Advanced statistics and sync progress across devices with iCloud Why Bullpen? – Minimalist design for a focused, enjoyable experience – Easy to learn yet challenging enough to satisfy puzzle enthusiasts – Ideal for both quick sessions and longer play times Ready to test your logic? Download Bullpen now and start solving puzzles your way!

Screenshots

Puzzle Day4 screens
Bullpen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Puzzle Day at none against Bullpen's 1. Puzzle Day also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.2). Bullpen's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 11) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Bullpen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Puzzle Day asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bullpen holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bullpen has 1.5K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Puzzle Day's written reviews are positive against 95% of Bullpen's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Puzzle Day versus Bullpen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuzzle DayBullpen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (11 ratings)4.9 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews94.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings111.5K — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimple Machine, LLCDavid Williames

Customer experience

Puzzle Day

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

Bullpen

All ratings1,506 ratings
Positive98.8%
Neutral0.3%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews295 reviews
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.4%

Bugs and requests

Puzzle Day

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bullpen

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Annoying bull sound effect
  • Difficulty progression issues (needing to replay lower levels)

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels for free version
  • Auto-placement tool for faster solving
  • Additional customization options (colors, markings)

In-app purchases

None

Puzzle Day

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Bullpen

One-time1
  • Pro Version$4.99

Questions

Is Puzzle Day free?
Puzzle Day is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bullpen free?
Bullpen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Puzzle Day or Bullpen?
Bullpen is rated higher. Puzzle Day averages 4.6 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Bullpen averages 4.9 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Puzzle Day or Bullpen have ads?
Neither Puzzle Day nor Bullpen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puzzle Day or Bullpen?
Puzzle Day ships an update weekly, and Bullpen weekly. Most recently, Puzzle Day was updated on November 1, 2026 and Bullpen on November 9, 2026.

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