Handcrafted · One rule · Every level proven
A Simon Tatham's Puzzles alternative
for one handcrafted puzzle instead of a box of generators.
Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection is a long-standing favourite among logic-puzzle players: dozens of classic one-player puzzles — Bridges, Loopy, Light Up, Keen, Pattern, Solo — re-implemented by Simon Tatham and contributors, released under the MIT licence and playable on Windows, Unix and in a web browser, with an iPhone and iPad port by Greg Hewgill and an Android port by Chris Boyle. Every new game is freshly generated, so it never runs out. Tare is the opposite shape: one puzzle, one rule, eighty levels built by hand in a deliberate order. You hang weights until every beam on a painted mobile balances and deduce hidden weights from picture cards, and every level is machine-checked to have exactly one answer.
How does Tare compare to Simon Tatham's Puzzles?
A free collection that never runs out, and a single puzzle designed level by level. Here's where each one fits.
One puzzle or many
Tare: One puzzle with one rule — weight × distance equal on both sides of every beam — explored across 80 levels that build from a first wobbly hang to many-layered mobiles with decoys.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: 38 single-player puzzle types on iPhone and iPad, from Bridges and Loopy to Keen (the Latin-square puzzle the Times prints as KenKen), Pattern (nonograms) and Solo (sudoku). Most are re-implementations of existing puzzle concepts.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: 38 single-player puzzle types on iPhone and iPad, from Bridges and Loopy to Keen (the Latin-square puzzle the Times prints as KenKen), Pattern (nonograms) and Solo (sudoku). Most are re-implementations of existing puzzle concepts.
Where the puzzles come from
Tare: Built by hand, in order, then machine-checked before shipping: exactly one balanced arrangement, hidden weights fixed by their cards alone, decoys that fit nowhere.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Generated. In the collection, starting a new game creates a fresh puzzle from a random initial state, so the supply never runs out.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Generated. In the collection, starting a new game creates a fresh puzzle from a random initial state, so the supply never runs out.
Hidden information
Tare: Some weights hide in a “?” bubble, and a beam carrying an unsolved “?” sways instead of tilting. Picture cards — equal, heavier, balanced on unequal arms — let you deduce the value.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: It depends on the game: Black Box hides balls you find by bouncing laser beams, Guess hides a colour combination, Mines hides mines, and many others are grid deduction.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: It depends on the game: Black Box hides balls you find by bouncing laser beams, Guess hides a colour combination, Mines hides mines, and many others are grid deduction.
Learning the rules
Tare: No words. The first levels teach the balance rule by play, and optional hints, off until you switch them on, show where one piece goes when you're stuck.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: The collection's website has a manual for every puzzle.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: The collection's website has a manual for every puzzle.
Price
Tare: Free download; Chapter I's 20 levels are free forever; one $2.99 purchase unlocks the other 60, with Family Sharing. No ads.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Free, with no in-app purchases. The collection is open source under the MIT licence.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Free, with no in-app purchases. The collection is open source under the MIT licence.
Privacy, platforms and updates
Tare: Data Not Collected — no account, no networking code, fully offline. iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later; version 1.0 was released on 9 October 2026.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Also Data Not Collected. iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs; the iOS port was last updated in September 2020 (version 1.3.2). The collection itself also runs on Windows, Unix and in a web browser, and there is a separate Android port.
Simon Tatham's Puzzles: Also Data Not Collected. iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs; the iOS port was last updated in September 2020 (version 1.3.2). The collection itself also runs on Windows, Unix and in a web browser, and there is a separate Android port.
| Feature | Tare | Simon Tatham's Puzzles |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | One puzzle, 80 levels | 38 puzzle types in one app |
| Where levels come from | Handcrafted, in a set order | Generated fresh for each new game |
| One answer per level | Machine-checked: exactly one | Not stated in the listing |
| Hidden information | “?” weights deduced from picture cards | Varies by puzzle |
| Words | None in the puzzle | English |
| Price | Free; $2.99 once for the other 60 levels | Free; open source (MIT licence) |
| In-app purchases | One, $2.99 | None |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Collected | Data Not Collected |
| Latest version | 1.0, October 2026 | 1.3.2, September 2020 |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad | iPhone, iPad and Mac; Windows, Unix, web and Android versions |
| Best for | One designed puzzle with a proven answer per level | Endless variety, for free |
Simon Tatham's Puzzles details were checked on 9 October 2026 against the US App Store listing for the iPhone and iPad port by Greg Hewgill, and against the collection's official website and manual. Prices, privacy labels and features can change — verify before installing.
Honest verdict — the toolbox and the set piece
Pick Tare if you want…
- One puzzle designed level by level, with a deliberate difficulty curve
- Hidden weights you can only deduce from picture clues
- Every level machine-checked to have exactly one answer
- Painted mobiles, sound, and no words at all
- VoiceOver, Reduce Motion and high-contrast support in a brand-new app
Pick Simon Tatham's Puzzles if you want…
- Variety — 38 puzzle types in one app
- Puzzles that never run out
- Completely free, with no in-app purchases
- Open source, and the same puzzles on Windows, Unix, the web and Android
- A tiny 3.8 MB download
On variety and price, Simon Tatham's Puzzles wins, and it belongs on any puzzle fan's phone. Tare is for when you want one puzzle made with care from the first level to the last — and you're happy to pay $2.99 once for the last sixty.
About Tare
Questions
FAQ
What is a good alternative to Simon Tatham's Puzzles?
If you want the same puzzles elsewhere, the collection's web version and the Android port by Chris Boyle are the obvious companions to the iPhone and iPad app. If you want a different kind of logic puzzle, Tare is a wordless balance puzzle for iPhone and iPad: hang weights numbered 1 to 9 until every beam on a mobile balances, and deduce hidden weights from picture cards. Each of its 80 handcrafted levels is machine-checked to have exactly one answer, and the first 20 are free.
Is Simon Tatham's Puzzles free?
Yes. The iPhone and iPad app is free with no in-app purchases, and the collection is open source under the MIT licence. Tare is a free download whose first 20 levels are free forever; one $2.99 purchase unlocks the other 60, with Family Sharing, and there are no ads.
Is there a balance puzzle in Simon Tatham's collection?
Not a balance puzzle as such. The closest in spirit is Keen — the Latin-square puzzle with arithmetic clues that the Times prints as KenKen. Others, such as Pattern (nonograms) and Solo (sudoku), are grid deduction. Tare's balance rule — weight times distance equal on both sides, with nested beams carrying their whole load — and its hidden weights deduced from picture cards are its own.
Are Tare's levels generated like Simon Tatham's?
No. Simon Tatham's puzzles are generated: a new game starts from a random initial state, so you never run out. Tare's 80 levels are built by hand in a deliberate order, then checked by machine before they ship — exactly one balanced arrangement, every hidden weight fixed by its picture cards alone, and decoys that fit nowhere.
Is the Simon Tatham's Puzzles iPhone app still updated?
The iPhone and iPad port by Greg Hewgill was last updated in September 2020 (version 1.3.2) and has 38 puzzle types; it is still on the App Store. The collection itself is still developed on its official website, which lists newer puzzles, such as Mosaic and Palisade, that the iOS port doesn't include.
Do Simon Tatham's Puzzles and Tare collect any data?
Both iPhone apps 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. Labels are self-reported and can change, so check the current listing before installing.
Try it
Open Tare
Eighty hanging mobiles, built by hand. Twenty levels free, no ads, nothing collected.