# Penguin Aquarium vs Gecko Pet

The clearest difference is update cadence: Penguin Aquarium at every 5 months against Gecko Pet's every 32 months. Gecko Pet's advantage is ratings volume (133 vs 42). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Penguin Aquarium against 4.7 for Gecko Pet. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 133 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Penguin Aquarium's written reviews are positive against 83% of Gecko Pet's.

Penguin Aquarium ships an update every 5 months, Gecko Pet every 32 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penguin Aquarium | Gecko Pet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-aquarium/id1061479168/reviews) | **[4.7 (133 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gecko-pet/id1476664621/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 42 | **133** |
| Positive reviews | **88.5% of reviews** | 82.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 32 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 112 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hiroki Yamada](https://appshunter.io/developer/491381849) | [sio honda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1467585268) |

## What reviewers say

### Penguin Aquarium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-aquarium/id1061479168)

Nurture a penguin from a small chick to a larger bird. This game features simple care mechanics, requiring feeding every three days and weekly cleaning. Watch your penguin grow daily in a relaxed, real-time experience.

**Highlights:** Grow a penguin, Real-time growth tracking, Easy care operations, Feed penguin regularly, Clean penguin habitat

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Gecko Pet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gecko-pet/id1476664621)

Raise a virtual gecko on your phone with simple care tasks like feeding and cleaning. Enjoy its smooth animations and relaxing music as it grows daily. This game is ideal for busy individuals or those new to gaming.

**Highlights:** Raise a virtual gecko, Simple feeding and cleaning mechanics, Real-time growth updates, Customizable pet name, Relaxing music and animations, Notifications for care tasks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penguin Aquarium free?

Penguin Aquarium is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Gecko Pet free?

Gecko Pet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Penguin Aquarium or Gecko Pet?

Gecko Pet is rated higher. Penguin Aquarium averages 4.5 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Gecko Pet averages 4.7 from 133 ratings.

### Do Penguin Aquarium or Gecko Pet have ads?

Both Penguin Aquarium and Gecko Pet show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penguin Aquarium or Gecko Pet?

Penguin Aquarium ships an update every 5 months, and Gecko Pet every 32 months. Most recently, Penguin Aquarium was updated on November 11, 2026 and Gecko Pet on November 6, 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.*