Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection review

Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection is the widest free and ad-free puzzle set on this list. The official page lists 40 one-player games, most of them re-implementations of classic logic puzzles such as Bridges, Loopy, Light Up, Tents and Solo, and each one links to a JavaScript and WebAssembly version you can play in a browser, a Windows executable and a manual. The collection is distributed under the MIT licence. On Android, Chris Boyle's port says it will always be free, with no ads, and playable offline, and it generates puzzles on demand with adjustable size and difficulty. Greg Hewgill's iPhone and iPad port lists 38 of the games and shows no in-app purchases on the US App Store. The trade-offs: the design is plain, there are no daily puzzles or leaderboards, Simon Tatham no longer builds a macOS app, and the mobile ports are maintained by third parties. We compared documented features and published prices.

Who it is for

Players who want many puzzle types free in a browser or on Android

Price

Free, open source under the MIT licence; the Android port says it will always be free with no ads.

It will always be free, with no ads, and playable offline.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• 40 single-player puzzles in one collection, including Bridges, Galaxies, Keen, Light Up, Loopy, Net, Pattern, Solo and Tents
• Web versions built on JavaScript and WebAssembly, linked from every puzzle on the official page
• Windows executables and a source archive for Unix systems with GTK
• Puzzles generated on demand with adjustable size and difficulty in the Android port
• Manual for each puzzle and a published developer guide for new front ends

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Android port states it will always be free, with no ads, and playable offline
• Strength: Distributed under the MIT licence, so the code is open
• Strength: New puzzles are generated on demand, so you do not run out
• Weakness: Simon Tatham no longer builds the macOS version, so Mac users play on the web
• Weakness: Android and iOS versions are third-party ports, not maintained by the author
• Weakness: Plain visual design with no daily challenge or leaderboards

Key facts

• Puzzles: 40 on the official page
• Licence: MIT
• Copyright: 2004 to 2021, Simon Tatham and contributors
• iOS port: 38 puzzles, by Greg Hewgill

Where it ranks

Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection is No. 1 in our Best Free Puzzle Games Without Ads verdict.