Comparison

Chain Reaction Pro vs Matrix Balls

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

Head to head
About

Chain Reaction Pro

A turn-based strategy game where players aim to control the board by strategically placing orbs. Exploding orbs can take over surrounding cells, eliminating opponents. Play against friends or the computer in this addictive game.

Highlights
  • Multiplayer strategy
  • Board control objective
  • Orb placement mechanics
  • Eliminate opponents
  • CPU mode for single player
  • Customizable orbs (bombs/atoms)
Features
Read full description

Chain Reaction is the explosive strategy game for 2 to 8 players – on one phone, or against the computer. No internet needed. Take turns dropping orbs into the grid. When a cell fills up it bursts, throwing an orb into every neighbouring cell and taking it over. One clever move can set off a chain reaction that sweeps the whole board! Knock out every other colour to win. WHAT'S INSIDE • Pass & Play for 2–8 players on one device – the perfect party game • Play vs CPU: Easy, Medium, or the Hard computer that thinks two moves ahead • Daily Challenge: the same board for everyone each day, with blocked cells to plan around. Win in as few moves as you can, keep your streak alive and share your score • 12 trophies, win streaks and your biggest-chain record • Share your wins with a picture of the board • Bombs or atoms, classic or HD grid, four colour themes • Satisfying chain combos, spinning orbs, screen shake and haptics • Plays fully offline HOW TO PLAY Corners burst at 2 orbs, edges at 3 and the middle at 4. You can only play on empty cells or your own. Lose all your orbs and you're out – the last colour standing wins. Questions or ideas? We'd love to hear from you.

About

Matrix Balls

A challenging puzzle game where you align 5 or more balls to clear them. Earn points through smart moves to avoid filling the board. The game offers a free version and a premium upgrade for advanced features.

Highlights
  • Align 5+ balls for combos
  • Strategic ball placement
  • Endless gameplay
  • Save and resume game (Premium)
  • Adjustable difficulty (Premium)
  • International high score leaderboard (Premium)
Features
Read full description

A board of wells. Balls keep dropping in. Line up five of one colour before the board fills up. Matrix Balls is the classic colour-lines puzzle, played against a machine that never stops. Drag a ball along the empty wells to any spot it can reach — across, down or round a corner — and line up balls of one colour in any direction, including the diagonals. Complete a line and it clears, with points for every ball in it. A CLOCK THAT DROPS BALLS Every twenty seconds the machine drops a handful of new balls onto the board. Every move you make resets the clock, so keep moving. A move that clears nothing brings the next drop straight away. Sometimes the machine completes a line by accident. You still get the points. IT GETS HARDER Your score carries you through nine stages. Each one brings more colours into play — seven at the start, eleven by the end — and bigger drops. The line you need is four balls on a small board, five on a large one. Fill the board and the game is over. Your best score stays. A BOARD THAT FITS YOUR SCREEN The grid is laid out for the display you are on: a tall narrow board on a phone, a wide one on an iPad or a Mac window. Bigger boards mean bigger drops and longer lines — it evens out. ONE GAME, EVERYWHERE iPhone, iPad and Mac, with your best score carried between them over iCloud. Compare it with other players on Game Center, or ignore the leaderboard entirely. Leave a game mid-way and it is waiting when you come back. NO CATCHES No ads. No in-app purchases. No account to create. Nothing to subscribe to. It works offline — there is no server behind it. Light and dark, and it respects Reduce Motion.

Screenshots

Chain Reaction Pro4 screens
Matrix Balls4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Matrix Balls at 100% against Chain Reaction Pro's 23%. Matrix Balls also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months). Chain Reaction Pro's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (44 vs 4). On ads, in-app purchases 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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Matrix Balls holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chain Reaction Pro has 44 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Chain Reaction Pro's written reviews are positive against 100% of Matrix Balls's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chain Reaction Pro ships an update every 6 months, Matrix Balls every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chain Reaction Pro versus Matrix Balls: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChain Reaction ProMatrix Balls
PriceFree — better—
Rating2.3 (44 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaxman MarothiyaPhilippe GUILLAUD

Customer experience

Chain Reaction Pro

All ratings39 ratings
Positive25.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative69.2%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive22.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative75.8%

Matrix Balls

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Chain Reaction Pro

No in-app purchases

None

Matrix Balls

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chain Reaction Pro free?
Chain Reaction Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Matrix Balls free?
Pricing for Matrix Balls is not currently listed on the App Store.
Which has better reviews, Chain Reaction Pro or Matrix Balls?
Matrix Balls is rated higher. Chain Reaction Pro averages 2.3 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Matrix Balls averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Chain Reaction Pro or Matrix Balls have ads?
Neither Chain Reaction Pro nor Matrix Balls shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chain Reaction Pro or Matrix Balls?
Chain Reaction Pro ships an update every 6 months, and Matrix Balls every 4 days. Most recently, Chain Reaction Pro was updated on November 6, 2026 and Matrix Balls on November 3, 2026.

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