# Pico Islands vs Bubble Panic! Tower Defense

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bubble Panic! Tower Defense at none against Pico Islands's 5. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pico Islands sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Bubble Panic! Tower Defense asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pico Islands ships an update every 5 weeks, Bubble Panic! Tower Defense every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pico Islands | Bubble Panic! Tower Defense |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (131 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pico-islands/id1476541055/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **131** | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 102 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [BitSpree GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476541054) | [Gohko Engineering G.K.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1751079228) |

## 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


### Bubble Panic! Tower Defense

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bubble-panic-tower-defense/id6584514075)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pico Islands free?

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

### Is Bubble Panic! Tower Defense free?

Bubble Panic! Tower Defense is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pico Islands or Bubble Panic! Tower Defense have ads?

Both Pico Islands and Bubble Panic! Tower Defense show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pico Islands or Bubble Panic! Tower Defense?

Pico Islands ships an update every 5 weeks, and Bubble Panic! Tower Defense every 2 months. Most recently, Pico Islands was updated on November 3, 2026 and Bubble Panic! Tower Defense 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.*