# Animaze! vs POOLS™

The clearest difference is ratings volume: POOLS™ at 1.6K against Animaze!'s 10. Animaze!'s advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 79%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Animaze! sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Animaze! against 4.5 for POOLS™. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POOLS™ has 1.6K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Animaze!'s written reviews are positive against 79% of POOLS™'s.

Animaze! ships an update every 5 weeks, POOLS™ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 25, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Animaze! | POOLS™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animaze/id1332713745/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pools/id6670792878/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 78.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 390 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Blyts](https://appshunter.io/developer/454180365) | [Tensori](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767614989) |

## What reviewers say

### Animaze!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animaze/id1332713745)

A charming puzzle game where you remove fences to bring different animals together. Manage animal populations carefully to avoid chaos and solve 100 unique levels across historical settings.

**Highlights:** 100 brain-teasing levels, Five historical periods, 15 animated cards to collect, Puzzle-specific abilities, Multiple animal types

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 50 coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 300 coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


### POOLS™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pools/id6670792878)

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

**Highlights:** Slow, reflective exploration, Atmospheric and immersive environments, Inspired by liminal spaces, Unfolding narrative through exploration, Six distinct chapters, Unique sound design

**Features:** Game Controller support, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POOLS: Full Game | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Immersive experience
- 🔒 No ads
- 👍 Incredible attention to detail
- 👍 Realistic graphics and sound
- 👍 Eerie and creepy atmosphere

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Boring after a while
- 🐛 Lack of variety in environments

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to move on iPad Pro
- Glitches reported

**Requested features**

- Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
- Add a multiplayer mode
- Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Animaze! free?

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

### Is POOLS™ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Animaze! or POOLS™?

Animaze! is rated higher. Animaze! averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while POOLS™ averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Animaze! or POOLS™ have ads?

Neither Animaze! nor POOLS™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Animaze! or POOLS™?

Animaze! ships an update every 5 weeks, and POOLS™ every 2 months. Most recently, Animaze! was updated on August 25, 2026 and POOLS™ on September 29, 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.*