Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Cookie Jam vs Genies & Gems

Cookie Jam 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Cookie Jam
Genies & Gems 4.7★ · Free + IAP 60

While both apps suffer from recent negative changes regarding ads and gameplay, Cookie Jam has a slight edge due to more consistent positive feedback on its core gameplay experience, despite its flaws.

Full reviews: Cookie Jam · Genies & Gems

Both Cookie Jam and Genies & Gems are free-to-play match-3 games with in-app purchases, and both have seen a recent surge in negative reviews primarily due to an increase in intrusive ads and perceived changes to gameplay that make them less enjoyable. Cookie Jam maintains a slightly higher lifetime rating and more users express long-term enjoyment, while Genies & Gems faces more critical issues with game stability and recycled levels.

Head to head

Ads and Monetization tieR1R3R4R7
Cookie Jam Many long-time Cookie Jam players are frustrated by the recent increase in mandatory and unskippable ads, which often freeze or prevent them from receiving rewards R1R3R4R7. Some feel the game has become 'money hungry' and forces players to watch ads for extra moves or boosters R4R28.
Genies & Gems Genies & Gems users also report a significant increase in ads, often appearing after every level or replay, making the game less enjoyable . Some specific ads, like 'Kalshi,' are criticized for being too long and sometimes preventing players from getting their rewards . There are also complaints about deceptive ads claiming phone hacks or viruses .
Gameplay and Content edge: Cookie JamR2R4R5R8
Cookie Jam Many players enjoy Cookie Jam's fun and relaxing nature, playing for years and finding it therapeutic R2R5R8. However, recent changes to the booster wheel, daily prizes, and the removal of features like original islands and airships have disappointed long-time users . Some feel levels now have too few moves or are designed to force purchases R4. There are also concerns about recycled levels and a loss of creativity R42R49R60.
Genies & Gems Genies & Gems is praised by many for being captivating, fun, addictive, and having a good storyline . However, a significant number of players report that levels are frequently recycled, especially at higher levels, which feels deceitful and boring R64. Some find the game cheats with power-ups like butterflies, making it harder to win . Recent updates have also sped up gameplay, which some find unenjoyable .
Reliability and Performance tieR7R15R25R27
Cookie Jam Cookie Jam players report various technical issues, including ads freezing the game, causing loss of progress or bonuses R7R15R25. Some users experience the game freezing entirely, being unable to tap or open anything, or crashing R27R30R39. There are also reports of the app not opening correctly or requiring users to open it via the App Store . The game is also noted as a major battery drain .
Genies & Gems Genies & Gems users frequently complain about the game locking up, freezing, or crashing, often leading to lost progress R66. Some experience lagging or slowed performance, especially after updates . There are also reports of the screen going black after ads .
Support and Updates tieR16R19R28R30
Cookie Jam Some Cookie Jam players express frustration with the lack of support when encountering issues like being stuck on a level or the game not working R30. Updates are often cited as the cause of negative changes, such as the introduction of more ads or alterations to game mechanics R16R19R28.
Genies & Gems Genies & Gems users have contacted customer support about issues like the lack of extra spins or ad support, but were told the developers were aware and working with ad providers, with no immediate resolution . Updates are frequently blamed for introducing more ads, performance issues, or unwanted gameplay changes .
Pick Cookie Jam if

You are looking for a match-3 game that many users find relaxing and therapeutic for long play sessions, despite recent frustrations with ads and some gameplay changes R2.

Pick Genies & Gems if

You enjoy match-3 games with a captivating storyline and characters, and are willing to overlook issues with recycled levels and frequent ads for the core gameplay experience .

Evidence note: Both apps are free with in-app purchases, and the negative reviews for both are heavily skewed towards recent changes, particularly the increase in ads and perceived shifts in monetization strategies, which is common for free-to-play games that evolve over time. The lifetime ratings are high for both, but recent sentiment is much lower.

Frequently asked

Do Cookie Jam and Genies & Gems have many ads?
Yes, both Cookie Jam and Genies & Gems have a significant number of ads, with many recent reviews indicating an increase in mandatory, unskippable, and intrusive advertisements that appear frequently, often after every level or replay R1R7R16R28.
Are there issues with game stability for Cookie Jam or Genies & Gems?
Yes, both games have reported stability issues; Cookie Jam users experience ads freezing the game and the app crashing or not opening R7R27R39, while Genies & Gems players frequently report the game locking up, freezing, or crashing, often leading to lost progress R66.
Do these games recycle levels?
Yes, users of both games report experiencing recycled levels; Cookie Jam players note a loss of creativity and repetition of level types R42R49R60, and Genies & Gems players frequently state that levels are repeated, especially at higher stages, which they find deceitful R64.

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. [R1] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Ads: Always an ad every time makes you not even want to play the game at all!
  2. [R3] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Soso: Too much ad
  3. [R4] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Joke: If you like watching ads, this game is for you! Very few moves to complete level so have to watch ads to get more moves. Then the computer makes most of the moves for you. Very little choice. In addition, you have no control over the free spin you get . This game has become very disappointing. Used to be fun.
  4. [R7] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US ADs SUCK: Waaayyyy too many ADS! So tired of adds freezing and making me lose rainbow cake, place in a game etc. kalshi, monopoly and some slot add are the worst!!
  5. [R2] Cookie Jam 5/5 · US Longtime Player: I play every morning. It’s fun and relaxing
  6. [R5] Cookie Jam 5/5 · US Great game: Love to play
  7. [R8] Cookie Jam 5/5 · US Cookie Jam: I love this game
  8. [R15] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Cookie Jam: Started getting ads more frequently. Just want to enjoy playing without all the ads. Also, the ads for extra moves get stuck and can’t get out of them
  9. [R25] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Losing time on bonuses due to Temu adds: For the most part the game is decent but lately they’ve allowed Temu adds that run for over 5 minutes. It wastes game time and you lose your bonuses that are time based. Rip-off. Get rid of Temu adds.
  10. [R27] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Broke: The game is not working on my iPhone. I deleted it and reinstalled it. I cannot tap or open anything.
  11. [R16] Cookie Jam 2/5 · US ShinyBee: This game USED to be my absolute fav - fun and NO ADS. But now they have mandatory ads and I won’t play it anymore. I’m so sick of being subjected to stupid ads. Cookie Jam - DO BETTER!
  12. [R19] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Poor: Rating as poor because you recently added all the adds
  13. [R28] Cookie Jam 2/5 · US Many ads added😠: I’ve enjoyed this game for years. It truly had no advertisements unless you wanted extra advantage for tools or extra moves. Now it’s totally different. You are forced to watch an ad to continue after nearly every game, even if you win the game. Greed/capitalism ruins everything eventually.
  14. [R30] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Would have given: I would have given this app of five, but I am stuck on 181 level and I can’t go any further I tried getting support but I can’t get that either. I can’t click on anything. I can’t collect anything.
  15. [R39] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Frustrated: I’ve been playing this game on and off for a very long time but getting to the point of frustration that I’m going to just delete this game. The game keeps freezing and constantly loosing items that I bought. Now it’s frozen once again that I can’t play at all no matter how many times I close the app and restart the game. Ya’ll need to fix the glitches, sooner rather than later and if
  16. [R66] Genies & Gems 3/5 · US So close, but so far...: It’s fun and all, but there have been too many times where the gems freeze, gems don’t fill up open spaces, or the butterflies are completely useless. The levels are passable but this constantly happening makes your game increasingly difficult and frustrating. I find myself playing less and less when I really enjoyed it in the beginning.
  17. [R42] Cookie Jam 3/5 · US Lost its charm: I used to love this game but it's changed so much and lost its cute charm. The levels used to be so varied with cute things like gingerbread men etc. you built a dessert with your points each level, there was tons of creativity and variance. I'm 1000+ levels in and now it's the same over and over and over (popcorn, pretzels, waffles, donuts, repeat). The cute flare and creativity i
  18. [R49] Cookie Jam 1/5 · US Ai used for new island levels: I have played cookie jam for YEARS. I love the game and it’s something fun and reliable to go back to in terms of mobile games. Recently, without a shadow of a doubt I have noticed the use of Ai to create new levels for the game. It’s extremely disappointing as a long time fan to see the heart and creativity of the game be given to a bot. I used to really look foward
  19. [R60] Cookie Jam 3/5 · GB Games are constantly repeating: I used to love this game but more recently the same puzzles keep appearing about every 10 levels. If you’re running out of ideas go back to the original version.
  20. [R64] Genies & Gems 1/5 · US Levels are Recycled: I can’t tell you how many levels I have played over and over again under the guise that it’s a new level. I am currently on level 9703 and I have played that level at least 3 times before. Why not just say you’ve reached the end of the game (like they used to) instead of making it appear like new levels are being added when it actually isn’t. That’s deceitful.

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