What are the best games like LinkedIn Zip?
If you want Zip's exact rule, pick a dedicated Zip-style app such as Zip Game: Number Path Puzzle or Zip Puzzle, both on the App Store. If you like the one-path idea but want a fresh twist, Sumthread keeps "one line through every tile" and swaps the numbered checkpoints for target sums you hit in order.
Zip arrived inside the LinkedIn app in March 2025, as Social Media Today reported: draw one continuous line that connects the numbers in sequence while filling every cell. Business Standard noted the difficulty climbs through the week. The catch for fans is simple: there is one board a day.
Same single line through every cell; the question is what the checkpoints ask of you.
Zip-style puzzle apps compared
| Zip Game: Number Path Puzzle | Zip Puzzle | Sumthread (ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Ikuhei Kure | Penghua Chen | Honest Little Apps (us) |
| Rule | Classic Zip: numbers in order, every cell | Classic Zip: numbers in order, every cell | Every tile, hitting ordered target sums |
| Daily puzzle | Yes, same for everyone, with streaks | Yes, harder from Monday to Sunday | Yes, a fresh 4×4 Daily Thread |
| More boards | 360 levels in six packs, plus practice | "Hundreds" across 6 levels, 4×4 to 8×8 | 5 collections, 3×3 up to 4×5 |
| Paying | Subscription, $1.99–$9.99 | In-app purchases (Premium) | Free to download |
| Ads | Yes, per its listing | Premium is ad-free, so the free tier implies ads | No ads |
| Tracking (privacy label) | Identifiers used to track you | Identifiers, usage and diagnostics used to track you | No third-party tracking |
| Offline | Yes | Yes | 100% offline, no account |
Sources: each app's US App Store page, read November 3, 2026. Privacy rows are developer-reported App Store privacy labels, which Apple does not verify. Prices may vary by region. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
Want pure Zip? Pick one of the first two. Want a calmer, sum-based cousin? That's Sumthread.
Try the Sumthread twist on a 3×3 board
Start on the top-left tile. Tap neighbours (up, down, left or right) to extend your thread through all nine tiles. Your running total must hit 10, then 15, then 14, in that order. Each time it lands exactly, the tile gets an amber checkpoint ring and the count restarts at zero. Tap an earlier tile on your path to backtrack.
There is exactly one solution, which we checked with a small solver. Dashed borders show where you can move next; an amber border means that tile would finish the current target. The app gives you the same two cues.
The first move feels free; the second target is where it starts to bite.
Questions Zip players ask
Is there a LinkedIn Zip app for iPhone?
How is Sumthread different from Zip?
Can I play more than one board a day in Sumthread?
Does Sumthread have hints or undo?
Can I share my Sumthread result like a Zip score?
Does Sumthread work offline, and does it have ads?
How Sumthread works in 3 steps
- Read the targets. The ordered target sums sit at the top of the board, for example 9, then 12, then 12.
- Thread the path. Drag across adjacent tiles or tap step by step. No diagonals and no revisits; every tile must be used.
- Lock each checkpoint. When your running sum hits the active target, that tile locks with an amber ring and the next segment starts from zero. The final sum must land on the last tile.
Three rules, one thread, and the arithmetic does the rest.
What it looks like on iPhone
Themes are Warm Ivory, Charcoal Dark, Newsprint Cream, Deep Forest and Clay & Ochre, with optional step-order badges and high-contrast tile borders.
It looks like a quiet newspaper puzzle, because that's the mood we wanted.
Who should pick something else
- Zip purists. If passing numbered dots in order is the whole joy, choose a classic Zip-style app from the table.
- Speed-runners. Sumthread has no global leaderboard. The Daily Thread history stays on your device.
- Anyone who dislikes mental arithmetic. The sums are small, but you are always adding.
Honest limits
- Smaller boards. Sumthread tops out at 4×5. The Zip-style apps go up to 8×8.
- Fewer boards, for now. Five curated collections plus a daily board is less than "hundreds" of levels. Sumthread is brand new: version 1.0 was released on November 2, 2026.
- Daily Thread is local. It is generated each day, but your streak lives on this phone only.
The design decision we care about most: no ads between boards. A five-minute break should stay five minutes.
Small, calm and new; if you need an 8×8 marathon today, look elsewhere.
One path. Every number.
Open Sumthread in the App Store and start with today's Daily Thread.
More from Pocket Puzzle Arcade
- Games like Hashi bridgesLove Hashi bridge puzzles? Three honest iPhone picks compared from their App Store listings, a 3-tap matcher, and a playable flip-the-bridge board.
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- Games like Rolling SkyLove Rolling Sky but not the ad breaks? Rank what matters, compare four rolling-ball games from their App Store listings, then play a 20-second demo.
- Number puzzle of the dayA free number puzzle of the day: flip bridges until every island hits its sum. New board at midnight, par to beat, last 7 days playable.