# DESERTOPIA vs Mini Farmstay

DESERTOPIA and Mini Farmstay both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Mini Farmstay's written reviews are positive against 45% of DESERTOPIA's. Mini Farmstay also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DESERTOPIA sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Mini Farmstay sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for DESERTOPIA against 4.7 for Mini Farmstay. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 287 and 170 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of DESERTOPIA's written reviews are positive against 84% of Mini Farmstay's.

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, Mini Farmstay every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DESERTOPIA | Mini Farmstay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (287 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desertopia/id1265572046/reviews) | **[4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-farmstay/id6471983818/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **287** | 170 |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 218 MB | 124 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gamtropy Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1265572045) | [Tle7](https://appshunter.io/developer/527196390) |

## What reviewers say

### DESERTOPIA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desertopia/id1265572046)

Transform a barren desert island into a thriving habitat at your own pace. Care for the island, restore wildlife, and make choices that influence its development. Enjoy a therapeutic idle simulator with beautiful art and evolving music.

**Highlights:** Storybook-style art, 100+ animals and 25+ terrain types, Weather and water evaporation mechanics, Multi-layered, evolving music, Interactive events influencing island development, Collect trash to clean the environment

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-Free Pass (30 Days) | $19.99 | per month |
| Gem Pack I | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ad Ticket Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack II | $4.99 | one-time |
| NewbiePack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Coral reef | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ad Ticket Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| DNAPack001 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack III | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Ancient Island | $9.99 | one-time |
| Cat Pack 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| (Limited) New Year Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| (Limited) New Year Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack IV | $19.99 | one-time |
| (Limited) New Year Pack 4 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌳 Beautiful art style and relaxing atmosphere
- 🌱 Environmentally-conscious themes
- 👍 No ads or in-app purchases required to progress

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes preventing gameplay
- 🤔 Unclear game mechanics and lack of instructions

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to exit tutorial or instructions screen
- Disappearing wetlands and other lost progress
- Compatibility issues on certain devices

**Requested features**

- More in-depth tutorial and gameplay explanations
- Ability to reset or restart progress
- Faster ways to earn resources and unlock new areas


### Mini Farmstay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-farmstay/id6471983818)

Create and manage a charming pixel art farmstay. Tap to collect resources, attract customers, and unlock new items and decorations to expand your idyllic retreat.

**Highlights:** Build and develop a farmstay, Pixel art graphics, Idle gameplay with tapping, Collect Hearts and attract customers, Unlock items and decorations

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Auto collect hearts | $1.99 | one-time |
| Free for attract customers | $2.29 | one-time |
| Auto Double Coins | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Cute and relaxing game
- 💰 Affordable in-app purchases
- 🇹🇭 Thai language support
- 🎨 Charming pixel art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Slow progression and earnings
- 🔒 No offline earnings
- 🐛 Issues with ad doubling functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Ad doubling not always working as intended
- UI elements sometimes cover important parts of the screen

**Requested features**

- Offline earnings or idle mode
- Larger game world and more content
- Mini-games or additional gameplay mechanics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DESERTOPIA free?

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

### Is Mini Farmstay free?

Mini Farmstay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay?

Mini Farmstay is rated higher. DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 out of 5 from 287 ratings, while Mini Farmstay averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.

### Do DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay have ads?

Both DESERTOPIA and Mini Farmstay show ads.

### Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay?

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, and Mini Farmstay every 2 weeks. Most recently, DESERTOPIA was updated on October 29, 2026 and Mini Farmstay on October 27, 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.*