# Stepets vs Detective Mio

Stepets and Detective Mio both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Detective Mio's written reviews are positive against 66% of Stepets's. Stepets's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stepets sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Detective Mio sells 4 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 — 4.6 for Stepets against 4.6 for Detective Mio. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 255 and 301 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Stepets's written reviews are positive against 86% of Detective Mio's.

Stepets ships an update weekly, Detective Mio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stepets | Detective Mio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (255 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stepets-walking-pet-simulator/id1532881399/reviews) | [4.6 (301 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-mio/id1577135213/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 255 | **301** |
| Positive reviews | 65.9% of reviews | **86.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 504 MB | 273 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Platonic Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/980909625) | [1N1](https://appshunter.io/developer/1282816708) |

## What reviewers say

### Stepets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stepets-walking-pet-simulator/id1532881399)

Collect and care for virtual pets by walking in the real world. Customize your island, play mini-games, and watch your pets evolve. Achieve fitness goals while enjoying a charming, kawaii-themed adventure.

**Highlights:** Collect and care for baby pets, Customize virtual island with furniture, Play mini-games with pets, In-game rewards for daily goals, Pets evolve and grow, Health tracking and fitness goals

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5 gems! | $2.99 | one-time |
| 10 gems! | $4.99 | one-time |
| Vip Member! | $4.99 | one-time |
| 20 gems! | $9.99 | one-time |
| Vip Member! | $9.99 | one-time |
| 50 gems! | $19.99 | one-time |
| 150 gems! | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Cute and adorable pets
- 🚀 Motivating to walk
- 👍 Smooth gameplay and execution
- 🎨 Fun decoration options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Steps not tracking properly
- 💰 Excessive use of ads and premium currency
- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🔒 Lack of sync with external fitness apps

**Reported bugs**

- Steps not registering correctly
- Negative gem/coin balances
- Ads not providing expected rewards

**Requested features**

- Ability to move and interact with pets
- More mini-games and activities
- Improved step tracking and integration with fitness apps
- Reduced reliance on premium currency


### Detective Mio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-mio/id1577135213)

Solve puzzles and quizzes to find hidden animals in various imaginative locations. This interactive game requires tapping, swiping, and dragging to uncover clues and complete illustrations. Decorate your detective office with earned items and enjoy offline play.

**Highlights:** Hidden object finding, Nonsense quizzes and puzzles, Interactive tap, swipe, drag mechanics, Animal rescue missions, Detective office decoration, Offline play

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| hint item 10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| hint item 25 | $1.99 | one-time |
| remove interstitial ads pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove all ads package | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Adorable and cute art style with charming character design
- 🧩 Engaging puzzle mechanics that blend detective work with hidden object finding
- 😌 Relaxing and healing gameplay experience
- 🎮 Well-balanced difficulty level - challenging but not frustrating
- 😸 Lovable cat characters throughout the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Extremely short game - only 20 levels completed in 1-2 hours
- 💰 Poor value for money - $5 ad removal purchase for limited content
- 🚫 No updates for over a year despite active player base
- 📖 Small text in clues difficult to read without zoom option
- 🎯 Some puzzle mechanics are unintuitive and confusing

**Reported bugs**

- Haunted house level prevents progression to next case
- Ad countdown timer runs without showing actual ad
- Some objects don't respond to required interactions
- Hint system shows incorrect or already-solved clues
- Touch input fails to register on certain objects

**Requested features**

- Add significantly more levels and cases
- Implement regular content updates
- Increase office/detective space for more decoration options
- Add zoom feature for reading clues more clearly
- Create seasonal or holiday-themed cases


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stepets free?

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

### Is Detective Mio free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Stepets or Detective Mio?

Stepets and Detective Mio are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 255 and 301 ratings respectively.

### Do Stepets or Detective Mio have ads?

Both Stepets and Detective Mio show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stepets or Detective Mio?

Stepets ships an update weekly, and Detective Mio every 2 weeks. Most recently, Stepets was updated on September 29, 2026 and Detective Mio on September 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.*