# Pico Islands vs Robot Colony

The clearest difference is rating: Robot Colony at 4.6 against Pico Islands's 4.2. Robot Colony also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (83% vs 71%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pico Islands sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Robot Colony sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Robot Colony holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 131 and 607 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Pico Islands's written reviews are positive against 83% of Robot Colony's.

Pico Islands ships an update every 5 weeks, Robot Colony every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pico Islands | Robot Colony |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (131 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pico-islands/id1476541055/reviews) | **[4.6 (607 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robot-colony/id1501328751/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 131 | **607** |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews | **83.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 102 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [BitSpree GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476541054) | [Ivan Khokhlenkov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1415532966) |

## What reviewers say

### Pico Islands

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pico-islands/id1476541055)

Lead settlers to build a thriving medieval city, manage resources, and expand your empire across islands. Engage in trade, conquest, and technological discovery to achieve global domination or enjoy a peaceful simulation.

**Highlights:** Build and expand your city, Manage resources and production, Trade with neighbors, Conquer new islands, Research new technologies, Optimize building placement and transportation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy 20 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 110 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $13.99 | one-time |
| Buy 500 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| Buy 1500 Gems | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Promising game
- 👍 Fun and addictive
- 👍 Charming game
- 👍 Interesting game
- 👍 Good game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🔋 High battery drain
- 🐛 Purchase records lost
- 🐛 Crashes when changing islands
- 🐛 Unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Forester lookups result in 404 errors
- Inability to undo 10 map limit
- Crashes when redeploying roads
- Inconsistent cookie consent management

**Requested features**

- Add map selection/replay
- Improve tutorial and documentation
- Implement graphics settings
- Add more content and progression
- Introduce multiplayer/competitive modes


### Robot Colony

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robot-colony/id1501328751)

Manage autonomous robots to gather resources, scout, build, and defend your base from giant bugs. This offline strategy and simulation game offers simple one-hand operation.

**Highlights:** Robot production and upgrades, Resource gathering, Area scouting, Base building and repair, Colony defense against giant bugs, Offline gameplay, One-hand operation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No ads and fast speed | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun, engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Simple, straightforward design
- 💎 Great value for money
- 🔍 Addictive, challenging experience
- 🕹️ Satisfying tower defense mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🕰️ Difficulty scaling can feel unbalanced
- 🤖 AI pathing and targeting needs improvement
- 📦 Limited unit/building variety

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing/crashing on certain devices
- Inconsistent wave/timer behavior
- Graphical issues on older hardware

**Requested features**

- Expand level/map selection
- Add more unit types and abilities
- Implement a sandbox/custom mode
- Improve camera controls and UI
- Introduce multiplayer or co-op modes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pico Islands free?

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

### Is Robot Colony free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pico Islands or Robot Colony?

Robot Colony is rated higher. Pico Islands averages 4.2 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while Robot Colony averages 4.6 from 607 ratings.

### Do Pico Islands or Robot Colony have ads?

Both Pico Islands and Robot Colony show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pico Islands or Robot Colony?

Pico Islands ships an update every 5 weeks, and Robot Colony every 6 days. Most recently, Pico Islands was updated on November 3, 2026 and Robot Colony on November 3, 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.*