# Lava Llama vs Hamster Maze

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lava Llama at none against Hamster Maze's 10. Lava Llama also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (9.0.0 vs 12.0). Hamster Maze's advantage is ratings volume (48K vs 20). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hamster Maze sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Lava Llama asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Lava Llama against 4.7 for Hamster Maze. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hamster Maze has 48K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Lava Llama's written reviews are positive against 62% of Hamster Maze's.

Lava Llama ships an update every 3 months, Hamster Maze every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lava Llama | Hamster Maze |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lava-llama/id1131968402/reviews) | **[4.7 (48K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-maze/id1541596500/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **48K** |
| Positive reviews | **88.9% of reviews** | 62.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 74 MB | 331 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Great Intrigue LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1131968401) | [ZPLAY (HK) TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1301067319) |

## What reviewers say

### Lava Llama

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lava-llama/id1131968402)

Guide a llama through an 8-bit world, escaping rising lava and avoiding obstacles. Explore new levels with retro graphics and immersive music. Stay alive as long as possible in this fast-paced arcade runner.

**Highlights:** 8-bit graphics and music, Procedurally generated levels, Obstacle avoidance, Multiple llama characters, Increasing difficulty

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hamster Maze

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hamster-maze/id1541596500)

Guide a cute hamster through challenging mazes filled with interactive obstacles. Customize your pet with various accessories and unlock new items as you progress. Experience thrilling new gameplay mechanics like gliding and bubble riding.

**Highlights:** Navigate mazes with obstacles, Climb stairs, swing, crawl, roll, Intuitive one-hand control, Hamster customization and rescue, Glider and bubble gameplay, Unlockable customizations

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Some Fruits | $0.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| A lot of fruits | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unicorn Skin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sheriff Skin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Dress Up Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| House Upgrade | $7.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🐹 Cute and realistic hamster animations
- 🎨 Fun and creative obstacle course elements
- 👍 Easy to control and play
- 💖 Addictive and entertaining gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent game freezes and crashes
- 🤯 Inability to progress past certain levels due to bugs
- 😤 In-app purchase issues (ads not removed)

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes when trying to name new hamster
- Unable to progress past level 9 due to glitch
- Ads still present even after purchasing ad-free version
- Hamster getting stuck or unable to be saved

**Requested features**

- Ability to rename hamsters
- More customization options for hamster house
- Reduced ad frequency or ad-free mode
- Smoother progression and fewer game-breaking bugs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lava Llama free?

Lava Llama is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hamster Maze free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Lava Llama or Hamster Maze?

Hamster Maze is rated higher. Lava Llama averages 4.5 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Hamster Maze averages 4.7 from 48K ratings.

### Do Lava Llama or Hamster Maze have ads?

Neither Lava Llama nor Hamster Maze shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lava Llama or Hamster Maze?

Lava Llama ships an update every 3 months, and Hamster Maze every 2 months. Most recently, Lava Llama was updated on November 2, 2026 and Hamster Maze on November 8, 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.*