Comparison

Pokémon GO vs Swap

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pokémon GO

Explore your real world to discover and catch creatures. Train your companions, battle in gyms, and team up with others for epic raids. Your adventure begins as you move through your environment.

Highlights
  • Explore and discover creatures
  • Catch creatures to complete Pokédex
  • Journey with Buddy Pokémon
  • Compete in Gym battles
  • Team up for Raid Battles
  • Augmented reality gameplay
Read full description

Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. _______________ UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and... TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles! It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO! _______________ With the player’s permission, Adventure Sync uses the Health app to enable the player to earn walking distance when the app is closed. Notes: - This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. - It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks. - Compatibility information may be changed at any time. - Information current as of July 11, 2019. - Compatible with iPhone® 5s / SE / 6 / 6s / 6 Plus / 6s Plus / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X devices with iOS Version 9 or later installed. - Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 5c or earlier iPhone devices. - Please visit PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically reduce battery life.

About

Swap

Embark on a charming platforming adventure with two pandas to retrieve stolen cupcakes. Utilize each panda's unique abilities, like swimming and climbing, to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles across diverse landscapes. Teamwork is key to navigating 20 levels and collecting all the treats.

Highlights
  • Control two pandas with distinct abilities
  • Solve environmental puzzles
  • Cute pixel art graphics
  • Explore 20 diverse locations
  • Traditional platformer controls
Features
Read full description

Swap-Swap Panda is a cute platform game where two pandas go on an adventure to take back the cupcakes stolen by some pesky ninjas. You will cross a wonderfull land full of bamboo forests, fantastic sights, and hazards. You'll be in control of two pandas, a chubby giant panda and a funny red panda, each of which with different abilities needed to overcome all the obstacles in the levels. That's right, just with teamwork you'll be able to get through all the levels, by switching pandas and controlling one at a time. Giant panda will be able to swim in lakes carrying red panda on its back, on the other hand red panda is able to climb bamboo and activate switches to open the path for giant panda. Swap-Swap Panda is a cute adventure that will keep you engaged with many levels and replay values too as you need to collect all the stolen cupcakes in order to fully complete the game. Features: • Control two pandas • Fun puzzle mechanics • Cute pixel art • Play in 20 locations • Traditional platformer controls

Screenshots

Pokémon GO4 screens
Swap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Swap at 81% against Pokémon GO's 44%. Swap also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Pokémon GO's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (653K vs 123). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pokémon GO sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Swap sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Swap holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon GO has 653K ratings behind it against 123, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Pokémon GO's written reviews are positive against 81% of Swap's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, Swap every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Pokémon GO versus Swap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokémon GOSwap
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (653K ratings)4.4 (123 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews81.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings653K — better123
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size404 MB22 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperScopely Explore, Inc.Gionathan Pesaresi

Customer experience

Pokémon GO

All ratings653,270 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews8,042 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral9.9%
Negative46.3%

Swap

All ratings123 ratings
Positive82.9%
Neutral7.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral10.2%
Negative8.5%

User reviews

Pokémon GO

From 653K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 👍 Encourages outdoor activity
  • 🚀 Frequent updates and new content
  • 👍 Brings people together
  • 🚀 Innovative AR features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🚫 Inaccessible for rural/disabled players

Swap

From 123 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🐼 Adorable characters and art style
  • 🎮 Fun and simple gameplay
  • 🚗 Great for car rides or short play sessions
  • 💡 Creative puzzles and mechanics
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Good for parents and children to play together

Room to improve

  • 🤏 Too short, limited number of levels (20)
  • 🕹️ Inconsistent or problematic controls
  • 📉 Laggy performance or slow gameplay
  • 💰 Overpriced for the content
  • 🧩 Some levels are too difficult

Bugs and requests

Pokémon GO

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • GPS/location issues causing gameplay problems
  • Bugs with egg hatching and buddy Pokémon
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Glitches with raid battles and rewards

Requested features

5 requests
  • In-game chat/communication system
  • Ability to trade items between players
  • More customization options for avatars
  • Improved tracking and spawn system
  • Easier access to rare/legendary Pokémon

Swap

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Key not working to pass through wall
  • Lose keys when collecting both at the same time (level 17)
  • Laggy/slow performance
  • Glitchy stage 8
  • Inconsistent controls, loss of momentum mid-jump
Show 9 more
  • Impossible to get third cupcake on level 18
  • Small jump size affecting gameplay (level 18)
  • Fault with level 18 on iOS
  • Can't jump far enough for cupcake in level 11
  • Controls are slow or don't work properly (fox)
  • Physics on jumping are floaty and then drop
  • Movement feels heavy
  • Clipping through blocks
  • Music repeats after winning a round

Requested features

10 requests
  • More levels
  • More backgrounds
  • Add more ninja elements to ninjas
  • Two-player option
  • Skins for characters
Show 5 more
  • Different worlds
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Holiday-themed levels
  • New storyline
  • Different kinds of pandas with different skill sets

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Pokémon GO

One-time21
  • 100 PokéCoins$0.99
  • Event Bonus$0.99
  • Small Box$1.99
Show 18 more
  • Evergreen Ticket 1$1.99
  • Event Ticket3 variants$1.99
  • Event Ticket5 variants$4.99
  • 550 PokéCoins$4.99
  • Ticket$4.99
  • Event Ticket$7.99
  • 1,200 PokéCoins$9.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$9.99
  • Finale Pass$14.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe$14.99
  • GO Fest Ticket$14.99
  • Finale Pass Plus Points$19.99
  • GO Pass Deluxe$19.99
  • 2,500 PokéCoins$19.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$19.99
  • GO Pass Deluxe Plus Points$24.99
  • 5,200 PokéCoins$39.99
  • 14,500 PokéCoins$99.99
1 purchases

Swap

One-time1
  • Premium$2.99

Questions

Is Pokémon GO free?
Pokémon GO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swap free?
Swap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pokémon GO or Swap?
Swap is rated higher. Pokémon GO averages 4.0 out of 5 from 653K ratings, while Swap averages 4.4 from 123 ratings.
Do Pokémon GO or Swap have ads?
Both Pokémon GO and Swap show ads.
Which is updated more often, Pokémon GO or Swap?
Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, and Swap every 9 months. Most recently, Pokémon GO was updated on September 24, 2026 and Swap on September 20, 2026.

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