# Hamster Life vs Hamster Runner

The clearest difference is rating: Hamster Life at 4.7 against Hamster Runner's 3.7. Hamster Life also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 50%) and ratings volume (745 vs 3). Hamster Runner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hamster Life sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Hamster Runner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hamster Life holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hamster Life has 745 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Hamster Life's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hamster Runner's.

Hamster Life ships an update every 3 months, Hamster Runner every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hamster Life | Hamster Runner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (745 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-life/id1038778912/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-runner-crowd-control/id6736997309/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **745** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **79.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 212 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cross Field Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/465034947) | [Maria Saleem](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764819388) |

## What reviewers say

### Hamster Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-life/id1038778912)

A free simulation game where you can easily and happily raise your own virtual hamster. Interact with your pet by feeding, touching, and playing with it. Decorate its home and watch its cute behaviors.

**Highlights:** Feed and touch your hamster, Decorate hamster's house, Play mini-games for coins, Collect different hamster looks, Add new hamsters, Participate in events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cheese +13 | $0.99 | one-time |
| StarterPack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Limited sale cheese +17 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +5, extra login bonus | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +55 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +110 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +350 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +640 | $39.99 | one-time |
| Cheese +1100 | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🐹 Cute hamsters
- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 🎨 Adorable art style
- 🕹️ Enjoyable mini-games
- 🏠 Ability to decorate and customize hamster habitat

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🧀 Difficult to earn in-game currency (cheese)
- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 📝 Poor grammar and translation issues
- 🔍 Limited content and things to do after progressing

**Reported bugs**

- Stages sometimes crash before completion
- Hamsters not always responding to feeding/cleaning requests
- Inconsistent performance and loading issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to have more than 5 hamsters at a time
- Faster breeding and growth of baby hamsters
- More mini-games and activities to interact with hamsters
- Option to watch ads to earn cheese instead of only through gameplay
- Ability to save and restore progress across devices


### Hamster Runner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-runner-crowd-control/id6736997309)

Race a nimble hamster through an obstacle course, dodging traps and making strategic choices to boost your score. Swipe to navigate paths and power up your speed in this vibrant, action-packed runner game.

**Highlights:** Fast-paced obstacle course racing, Strategic number gate choices, Unlockable challenging levels, Vibrant and dynamic graphics, Swipe-based controls for navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hamster Life free?

Hamster Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hamster Runner free?

Hamster Runner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hamster Life or Hamster Runner?

Hamster Life is rated higher. Hamster Life averages 4.7 out of 5 from 745 ratings, while Hamster Runner averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Hamster Life or Hamster Runner have ads?

Hamster Life shows ads; Hamster Runner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hamster Life or Hamster Runner?

Hamster Life ships an update every 3 months, and Hamster Runner every 10 days. Most recently, Hamster Life was updated on September 24, 2026 and Hamster Runner on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*