# Pixel Plex vs City Planner

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: City Planner at none against Pixel Plex's 16. City Planner also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Pixel Plex's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Plex sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. City Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pixel Plex ships an update weekly, City Planner daily. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Plex | City Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-plex-city-builder/id1296964678/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 140 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Toast - Apps and Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/393055476) | [Studio Billion Oyun Teknolojileri Anonim Sirketi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1376600366) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Plex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-plex-city-builder/id1296964678)

Collaborate with up to 40 players to build, trade, and expand a shared city. Design unique structures, manage resources, and engage in market trading to grow your collective cityscape. Participate in mayoral elections to influence city-wide decisions in this ad-free, relaxing simulation.

**Highlights:** Collaborative city building with up to 40 players, Resource trading and market management, Over 60 unique, evolving buildings, Land expansion and business growth, In-game mayoral elections, Ad-free gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pixel Club Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Bundle 7 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 1 | $1.49 | one-time |
| Change Username | $1.49 | one-time |
| Bundle 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bundle 6 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bundle 4 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bundle 3 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Bundle 2 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Multiple Cities | $5.99 | one-time |
| Bundle 5 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 3 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 6 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 4 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Pack 5 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Chill and relaxing gameplay
- 🤩 Great city building experience
- 💪 Collaborative community aspect
- 🎨 Appealing pixel art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- ⏱️ Slow progression and resource gathering
- 💰 Paywall to create new cities
- 🏠 Inactive players occupying city slots

**Reported bugs**

- Buildings disappearing after upgrades
- Incorrect countdown timers
- Negative resource and money balances
- Plex market crashing the game
- Inability to create new cities after purchase

**Requested features**

- Ability to kick inactive players
- More buildings and upgrade options
- Faster resource generation
- Shared trading depot between servers
- Ability to switch servers without losing progress


### City Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/city-planner/id1543199804)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Plex free?

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

### Is City Planner free?

City Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pixel Plex or City Planner have ads?

City Planner shows ads; Pixel Plex does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Plex or City Planner?

Pixel Plex ships an update weekly, and City Planner daily. Most recently, Pixel Plex was updated on October 19, 2026 and City Planner on October 14, 2026.

---

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