Wordless · One rule · Every level proven
A Baba Is You alternative
with one fixed rule and no words at all.
Baba Is You is a modern classic of puzzle design — an App Store Editors' Choice from Hempuli Oy, released on Steam in 2019 and on iPhone and iPad since 2021, in which the rules sit inside each level as word blocks you can push apart and rewrite. Tare goes the other way. It has one rule that never changes — weight times distance must match on both sides of every beam — and no words at all. Each of its 80 levels is a painted hanging mobile with weights to hang, some of them hidden in a “?” bubble that only picture cards can unlock, and every level is machine-checked to have exactly one answer.
How does Tare compare to Baba Is You?
A puzzle about rewriting the rules, and a puzzle about one rule followed exactly. Here's where each one fits.
What a level asks of you
Tare: Hang every weight on a hook so that every beam on the mobile balances at the same time. When the last piece is right, the beams stop swaying and the whole mobile rings out in one chord.
Baba Is You: Reach the goal by rewriting the rules that stand in the way. Push word blocks to form or break sentences — WALL IS STOP becomes WALL IS PUSH — and you can turn yourself into a rock or change the goal itself.
Baba Is You: Reach the goal by rewriting the rules that stand in the way. Push word blocks to form or break sentences — WALL IS STOP becomes WALL IS PUSH — and you can turn yourself into a rock or change the goal itself.
The rules
Tare: One, and it never changes: weight × distance must be equal on both sides of a pivot, with hooks at notches 1 to 4. A nested beam pulls with its whole load at the hook it hangs from, so one change ripples up the tower.
Baba Is You: The rules are blocks inside each level, and the puzzle is which ones to make, break or combine. Surprising interactions between rules are the whole point.
Baba Is You: The rules are blocks inside each level, and the puzzle is which ones to make, break or combine. Surprising interactions between rules are the whole point.
Words on screen
Tare: None in the puzzle. The first levels teach the balance rule by play, and every clue is a small picture — equal, heavier, balanced on unequal arms — so it plays the same in any language.
Baba Is You: The rules are written as word blocks — BABA, IS, YOU, WALL, STOP — so reading them is part of playing. The app lists 12 languages.
Baba Is You: The rules are written as word blocks — BABA, IS, YOU, WALL, STOP — so reading them is part of playing. The app lists 12 languages.
Size and structure
Tare: 80 handcrafted levels in four chapters of 20 — The Hang, The Secret, The Cascade and The Exhibition — each in its own world, from Morning Sky to Evening Stars. Up to three stars per level, never a gate.
Baba Is You: The main game, plus a free 2022 update that added New Adventures, a pack of more than 150 new levels, and Museum, around 80 cut levels from the original game, some with developer commentary.
Baba Is You: The main game, plus a free 2022 update that added New Adventures, a pack of more than 150 new levels, and Museum, around 80 cut levels from the original game, some with developer commentary.
Price
Tare: Free download. Chapter I — 20 full levels — is free forever; one $2.99 purchase unlocks the other 60, with Family Sharing. No ads, no subscription.
Baba Is You: $6.99 once, with no in-app purchases and with Family Sharing. It is paid up front, so there is no free sample on the App Store.
Baba Is You: $6.99 once, with no in-app purchases and with Family Sharing. It is paid up front, so there is no free sample on the App Store.
Privacy and platforms
Tare: Data Not Collected — no account, no ads, no networking code, so it plays fully offline. iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later. Progress stays on the device you play on.
Baba Is You: Also Data Not Collected. iPhone and iPad, plus Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision from the same listing, and progress syncs across your devices. Also on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux, and on Android.
Baba Is You: Also Data Not Collected. iPhone and iPad, plus Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision from the same listing, and progress syncs across your devices. Also on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux, and on Android.
| Feature | Tare | Baba Is You |
|---|---|---|
| The goal | Balance every beam at once | Reach the goal by rewriting the rules |
| The rules | One, fixed: weight × distance | Word blocks you push to rewrite |
| Words in play | None | The rules are written as words |
| Levels | 80 handcrafted, in four chapters | Main game plus free New Adventures (150+) and Museum (~80) packs |
| When you're stuck | Optional hints, off by default — one piece at a time | Rewind and retrace your steps |
| Try before you buy | Yes — Chapter I is free forever | No — paid up front |
| Price | Free; $2.99 once for the other 60 levels | $6.99 once, no in-app purchases |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Collected | Data Not Collected |
| Progress sync | No — stays on one device in this version | Yes, across your devices |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Mac and Apple Vision; Steam and Android |
| Best for | A calm, wordless deduction puzzle with proven answers | Rule-bending puzzles from a modern classic |
Baba Is You details were checked on 9 October 2026 against its US App Store listing, release notes and privacy label, its Steam page and its Google Play listing. Prices, privacy labels and features can change — verify before installing.
Honest verdict — play Baba Is You, then try Tare
Pick Tare if you want…
- No words at all — every clue is a picture, so anyone can play
- One rule to master, with depth from nested beams, hidden weights and decoys
- Every level machine-checked to have exactly one answer
- 20 levels free before you spend anything, then $2.99 once
- No timer, no lives, no ads, and a Data Not Collected label
Pick Baba Is You if you want…
- Rules you rewrite yourself, with surprising interactions
- A big game with free extra packs — New Adventures and Museum
- Progress that syncs across your devices
- Mac, Apple Vision, Steam or Android as well as iPhone and iPad
- An App Store Editors' Choice you pay for once, with no in-app purchases
If you haven't played Baba Is You, start there — it has earned its reputation. Tare is for afterwards, or for anyone who wants a calmer, wordless puzzle with one rule, every answer proven and twenty levels to try for free.
About Tare
Questions
FAQ
What is a good alternative to Baba Is You?
If you have finished Baba Is You and want another handcrafted puzzle game where every level has a real answer, Tare is one option: a wordless balance logic puzzle for iPhone and iPad with 80 levels, each machine-checked to have exactly one solution. It is a different kind of puzzle — the rule never changes; you balance hanging mobiles and deduce hidden weights from picture cards — and the first 20 levels are free, with one $2.99 purchase for the other 60. If you haven't played Baba Is You's free New Adventures and Museum packs yet, start there.
How is Tare different from Baba Is You?
In Baba Is You the rules are objects in the level: you push word blocks to make or break sentences like WALL IS STOP, and changing a rule changes what you are, what blocks you and what counts as winning. Tare has one rule that never changes — a beam balances when weight times distance is equal on both sides, and a nested beam pulls with its whole load at the hook it hangs from. The difficulty comes from mobiles with several beams that must all balance at once, weights hidden in a “?” bubble that you can only work out from picture cards, and decoy weights that fit nowhere.
Can I try Tare before paying? Is Baba Is You free?
Tare is a free download and its first chapter, 20 full levels, is free forever; one $2.99 purchase unlocks the other 60, with Family Sharing. Baba Is You is a paid app at $6.99 with no in-app purchases, so you pay before you play. It supports Family Sharing, and a 2022 update added more than 150 New Adventures levels and around 80 Museum levels at no extra cost.
Does Tare use words like Baba Is You's rule blocks?
No. There are no words anywhere in Tare's puzzles. The opening levels teach the balance rule by play, and the clues are small picture cards showing which pieces are equal, which is heavier, and which balance on unequal arms. In Baba Is You, reading is part of the game, because its rules are written as word blocks such as WALL IS PUSH.
Do Baba Is You and Tare collect any data?
Both are labelled Data Not Collected on the App Store. Tare has no account, no ads, no analytics, no third-party SDKs and no networking code, so it plays fully offline — its privacy policy has the detail. Privacy labels are reported by developers and can change, so check the current listing before installing.
Do they sync progress between devices?
Baba Is You does: since a January 2026 update, progress syncs automatically across your devices, with manual restore from the cloud in its Settings. Tare does not in this version — progress stays on the device you play on, although the $2.99 unlock restores on any device signed in to your Apple Account.
Try it
Open Tare
Eighty hanging mobiles, one rule, no words. Twenty levels free, no ads, no account.