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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Candy Crush Saga vs Cookie Jam

Candy Crush Saga 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Candy Crush Saga
Cookie Jam 4.7★ · Free + IAP 60

Candy Crush Saga is the slightly better choice for players who prioritize a vast number of levels and established gameplay, despite both games suffering from aggressive monetization and ad strategies.

Full reviews: Candy Crush Saga · Cookie Jam

Both Candy Crush Saga and Cookie Jam are popular match-3 puzzle games that offer addictive gameplay, but recent updates have led to a significant increase in ads and monetization pushes, frustrating many long-time players. Candy Crush Saga has a slight edge due to its sheer volume of content and established community, though its ad problem is equally pronounced.

Head to head

Features & Gameplay edge: Candy Crush SagaR5R17R20R21
Candy Crush Saga Candy Crush Saga is praised for its fun and addictive puzzle gameplay, with plenty of levels and challenging aspects R5R20. Users enjoy the variety and the feeling of accomplishment when winning R17. However, some recent updates have removed bonus plays and made levels excessively difficult, leading to frustration R21R43.
Cookie Jam Cookie Jam is described as fun, relaxing, and challenging by its fans . Players appreciate the free gifts and how it doesn't take forever to win some levels . However, many long-time players lament the loss of creativity in newer levels, which have become repetitive, and the removal of features like original islands and the option for extra moves via ads .
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR1R5R9R12
Candy Crush Saga Candy Crush Saga is easy to pick up and play R5. However, the user experience is severely hampered by constant pop-up ads and promotional offers that interrupt gameplay, often taking longer to navigate than playing a level R5R12R34. Ads frequently freeze or cannot be closed, forcing users to restart the app R1R9.
Cookie Jam Cookie Jam was once praised for having no ads, making it a relaxing experience . However, recent changes have introduced mandatory and frequent ads, which are often long, obnoxious, and difficult to exit, leading to frustration and loss of progress R61. Some users also report the game freezing or not opening correctly .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R7R9R28
Candy Crush Saga Many Candy Crush Saga users report frequent app crashes, especially when winning or playing for extended periods, leading to lost progress, power-ups, and lives R7R28R33. Ads also frequently freeze the game R1R9.
Cookie Jam Cookie Jam also suffers from reliability issues, with users reporting the game freezing, not opening, or losing purchased items . Ads frequently get stuck, preventing users from exiting and sometimes causing them to lose bonuses .
Price & Value (Free + IAP) tieR3R12R16R22
Candy Crush Saga Candy Crush Saga is free to play, but users feel pressured to make in-app purchases to pass difficult levels or get boosters R3R16R22. Many complain about the game constantly pushing microtransactions and paywalls R3R12. Some find the game too expensive overall .
Cookie Jam Cookie Jam is also free, but players feel forced to watch ads for extra moves or to continue levels, and some believe the game is designed to make them buy extras because levels are too difficult without them . The value of daily spins has decreased, offering less useful items .
Support & Updates tieR18R21R24R43
Candy Crush Saga Users express frustration with recent updates that removed bonus plays and changed game mechanics R21R43. There are also complaints about missing rewards and disappearing lives, suggesting issues with account management or support R18R24.
Cookie Jam Players are disappointed with recent updates that introduced more ads and changed the daily booster wheel, making it less rewarding . Some users report being stuck on levels and unable to get support .
Pick Candy Crush Saga if

Pick Candy Crush Saga if you are looking for a game with a massive number of levels and a long-established history, and you are willing to tolerate frequent ads and monetization pushes for the core gameplay R5.

Pick Cookie Jam if

Pick Cookie Jam if you prefer a game that some users find relaxing and therapeutic, and you are hoping for a match-3 experience that occasionally offers free gifts, despite recent negative changes to its ad policy and rewards .

Evidence note: Both apps have a high lifetime rating, but recent reviews for both are heavily skewed negative, primarily due to an overwhelming increase in ads and aggressive monetization tactics. The free-to-play nature means many negative reviews stem from friction with the free tier (ads, limits) rather than core gameplay flaws.

Frequently asked

Are Candy Crush Saga and Cookie Jam free to play?
Yes, both Candy Crush Saga and Cookie Jam are free to download and play, but they include in-app purchases (IAP) and rely heavily on advertisements, which many users find intrusive and disruptive R3R5R61R79.
Which game has more ads?
Both games are heavily criticized for an excessive number of ads, with users of both Candy Crush Saga and Cookie Jam reporting constant pop-ups, long ad durations, and ads that freeze or cannot be closed, making it difficult to play R1R5R9R34.
Do these games crash frequently?
Yes, users report that both Candy Crush Saga and Cookie Jam frequently crash or freeze, often leading to loss of progress, power-ups, or lives, which is a significant source of frustration for players R7R28R33R49.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Candy Crush Saga 5/5 · US So you mf will stop asking me: Candy Crush is still a fun and addictive puzzle game with plenty of levels and satisfying gameplay. It’s easy to pick up and play for a few minutes or get lost in for much longer. The biggest downside is the constant pop-up ads and promotional offers. It feels like every time you finish a level, open the game, or return to the main screen, you’re hit with another of
  2. [R17] Candy Crush Saga 5/5 · US Win streak reason: The reason why I kept winning is all thanks to the very intelligent random candy colored jelly fish, it makes me excited when I win a round.
  3. [R20] Candy Crush Saga 5/5 · US Iced Coffee: Very fun, and challenging game.
  4. [R21] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US Horrible update ..who makes these decisions?: 3 updates ago king took away the bonus plays we could have (after watching ads)it was so much fun to be able to try finishing a level with those extra plays.Seriously!!! Why?Some of us play for the joy of it and that gave us the ability to move forward and just keep playing the game.Get it back,Please
  5. [R1] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Ads: I am ready to cancel this game! Stop the long and stupid ads. I don’t want anything that you are advertising! They freeze up my iPad, and don’t give me my boosts!!!
  6. [R9] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US Advertisement: Please, please remove the advertisements that can not be closed off of the screen. I need to constantly get out of the app then get back in. Ridiculous.
  7. [R12] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US It’s okay but…: I like playing the game but the gyrations you have to go through between the comments keyed level and the next level is ridiculous. Layer after layer of add-ons, potential purchases, etc make playing the simple game a burden. Sometimes it takes twice as long to access the next level as it does to play it. There are other similar games that don’t force players to do nearly as much.
  8. [R7] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Bad game: Game keeps crashing when winning. Wants more money. Rip off.
  9. [R28] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Awful: Crashes every time I play on every level and waist my power ups and lives. And yes I’m running on the most current version
  10. [R3] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US El stinky but good.: Very nice character design , good to pass time, but I will always hate the constant push for micro transactions and paywalls- “watch an ad to replay!” Its annoying it’s a shame that candy crush has succumbed to this level too
  11. [R16] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Level 18587 BORING AND STUPID: IMPOSSIBLE even with full boosts. I have played it dozens of times and can’t pass. THEY ARE FORCING YOU TO PURCHASE TO PLAY. SAD AND PATHETIC GAME. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
  12. [R22] Candy Crush Saga 2/5 · US Ya están difíciles: Ya están muy difíciles los mundos y a fuerzas quiere que compre corazones o bosters para pasarlos ya no te dan anuncios para poder agarrar más corazones
  13. [R18] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US Pocket fm rewards: Where is my rewards? I have been playing to get rewards for pocket fm and have not received any.
  14. [R24] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US Where are my lives ?: I had hundreds of lives a week ago. They all disappeared and now I have 22 I realize I can only use 20 a day but it was nice to have that reserve. Please give my hard earned lives back
  15. [R43] Candy Crush Saga 2/5 · US Fed up!: After years of playing this game it has become seriously un fun lately, I’ve gone through some times before where it has been bad, but this is the worst! Every level takes days or weeks to get through and they have removed the chance for extra moves by watching ads. I guess the goal is to force me to use up my gold bars to win, but I only use them when there is a chance of winning somethi
  16. [R61] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Ads: Always an ad every time makes you not even want to play the game at all!
  17. [R79] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Poor: Rating as poor because you recently added all the adds
  18. [R34] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Pop ups: The most pop ups I’ve ever experienced in a game like I’m just trying to play please stop
  19. [R33] Candy Crush Saga 3/5 · US Freezes: Have been playing a long time. Now on level 10641. It freezes every time I am going to win. The last time I used 10 bars, wasted. Sometimes there is a reward for the freeze but I have not seen that for a few days. Might be time to stop playing.
  20. [R49] Candy Crush Saga 1/5 · US Candy crash: System crashes a lot especially when you make are play for more than 30 minutes or streak is high. You lose everything and have to start with nothing again. No compensation for system crash.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store