# Niche vs Squishy Maker

The clearest difference is price: Squishy Maker at Free against Niche's $2.99. Squishy Maker also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). Niche's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 16). On ads, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Squishy Maker is free to download; Niche costs $2.99 up front. Squishy Maker sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Niche asks for nothing beyond the download.

Niche holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Niche has 552 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Niche's written reviews are positive against 54% of Squishy Maker's.

Niche ships an update every 3 weeks, Squishy Maker every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Niche | Squishy Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (552 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/niche-breed-and-evolve/id1539018460/reviews)** | [3.4 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/squishy-maker-slime-breeding/id6477444213/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **552** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **79.5% of reviews** | 53.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 307 MB | 264 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stray Fawn Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1539018462) | [Consalad, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1577310402) |

## What reviewers say

### Niche

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/niche-breed-and-evolve/id1539018460)

Experience a genetics and breeding simulation game with unique animals and thousands of gene combinations. Grow your pack by selectively breeding, exploring new islands, and encountering new challenges. Pet your creatures to strengthen your bond and unlock bonuses.

**Highlights:** Genetics and breeding simulation, Thousands of gene combinations, Pack leadership and adaptation, Foraging, hunting, and predator combat, Discover new islands and genes, Petting and bonding mechanics

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and addictive genetics game
- 💡 Ability to visit and continue working on previous islands
- 💡 Can switch nichelings between islands
- 👍 No grinding or in-app purchases
- 👍 Relaxing and easy to play

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Repetitive and lacking challenge
- 🐛 Inbreeding with no consequences
- 🐛 Foraging becomes unplayable later on
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Lack of explanations and tutorials

**Reported bugs**

- Glitches with nicheling genes and traits
- Crashes on load up
- Visual bugs with nicheling paws

**Requested features**

- Family tree to track breeding
- More biomes and environments
- Ability to manually sort nichelings
- More varied color options
- Ability to compare genes between nichelings


### Squishy Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/squishy-maker-slime-breeding/id6477444213)

Nurture, breed, and research magical slimes to discover new combinations and become a certified wizard. Engage in slime tournaments and explore a magical world to gather resources and unlock new slime types.

**Highlights:** Nurture and breed unique slimes, Discover endless slime combinations, Research slime genetics, Compete in slime tournaments, Explore a magical world, Collect slime magic cards

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Rubies | $0.49 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 5 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30 Rubies | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Package | $1.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 6 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 7 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Ad Banner Removal | $2.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Currency Pack Vol.1 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 8 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 9 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Slime Hotel Expansion Floor 10 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 200 Rubies | $12.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Currency Pack Vol.2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Currency Pack Vol.3 | $39.99 | one-time |
| Moonlight Atelier Pack Vol.3 | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Niche free?

Niche costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Squishy Maker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Niche or Squishy Maker?

Niche is rated higher. Niche averages 4.7 out of 5 from 552 ratings, while Squishy Maker averages 3.4 from 17 ratings.

### Do Niche or Squishy Maker have ads?

Neither Niche nor Squishy Maker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Niche or Squishy Maker?

Niche ships an update every 3 weeks, and Squishy Maker every 3 days. Most recently, Niche was updated on October 29, 2026 and Squishy Maker on October 24, 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.*