Comparison

Pixel Pets vs Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pixel Pets

Bring your phone to life with animated pixel pets that live on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. Interact with your digital companions by feeding them and watching them explore your device. Choose from a variety of adorable animals to be your new best friend.

Highlights
  • Animated pixel pets
  • Home Screen customization
  • Lock Screen customization
  • Interactive pet care
  • Dynamic Island integration
  • Live Notifications display
Features
Read full description

Pixel Pets is an incredible app for customizing your Home Screen and Lock Screen Ever wanted to have your own special pet that animates on you phone? Meet Pixel Pets! You’ll be able take care of your own animal pet by feeding and interacting with your new best friend. You can find your pet displayed on your Lock Screen, Dynamic Island and even Live Notifications. 

 Some of our first Pixel Pets include: “Dog” = Spot is your loving companion! He loves adventuring through the wilderness and following you around the world. “Ox” = Cows are the most hardworking and gentle of all. She is a gentle, hardworking and helpful cow! “Duck” = Waddles is the cutest duck ever. She loves cuddling and following you around. Her soft feathers are super comfy, and she will always be there to comfort you! “Bear” = Polly is scary at first, but once you get to know her, you realize she is the grizzliest teddy bear!

About

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Bring adorable pixel art pets to your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Live Activities. Customize your chosen companions and enjoy their presence as you navigate your device, adding a touch of joy to every interaction. A variety of animals are available to personalize and name.

Highlights
  • Customizable pixel art pets
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen customization
  • Live Activities integration
  • Variety of animal companions
  • Name customization
Features
Read full description

Pixel Pals is an incredible app for customizing your Home Screen and Lock Screen, as well as Live Activities, allowing you to place adorable pets called Pixel Pals that you can customize and enjoy as you swipe through your apps or unlock your phone, making each interaction just that much happier! They're beautiful pixel art renditions of animals, a nostalgic art style that's really delightful to take in. Pixel Pals includes a variety of animals for you to customize and enjoy: - Dog (named Rupert) - Cat (named Hugo) - Hedgehog (named Chortley) - Fox (named Finnegan) - Axolotl (named Mochi) - Otter (named Nugget) - Bat (named Fu-Fu) - Parrot (named Kiwi) - Tiger (named Herbert) - Platypus (named Penny) - Panda (named Poe) - Raccoon (named Oliver) - Butterfly (named Freya) - T-Rex (named Rory) - Bunny (named Thumper) - Red Panda (named Bao) - Pet Rock (named Dwayne) - Penguin (named Bubbles) You can also change any of the names! The dog and cat are included for all, and Pixel Pals Premium includes the other pals, as well as the option to pin two animals at once for supported devices. This app offers subscriptions for "Pixel Pals Premium". They're available (in United States pricing) for $1.49 monthly or $9.99 yearly. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period (and charged to your iTunes account). You can turn off auto-renew/manage subscriptions in your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use can be found at https://pixelpals.app/terms and Privacy Policy can be found at https://pixelpals.app/privacy

Screenshots

Pixel Pets4 screens
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game at 4.6 against Pixel Pets's 4.0. Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 50) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days). Pixel Pets's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (73% vs 47%). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.59 per month. Pixel Pets asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game has 37K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Pixel Pets's written reviews are positive against 47% of Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Pets ships an update every 4 days, Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Pixel Pets versus Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel PetsPixel Pals Widget Pet Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (50 ratings)4.6 (37K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better47.2% of reviews
Number of ratings5037K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank—#162 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.3
Further details — not scored
Size301 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobile Smart GrowthChristian Selig

Customer experience

Pixel Pets

All ratings50 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative18.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

All ratings36,266 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews765 reviews
Positive47.2%
Neutral14.4%
Negative38.4%

Bugs and requests

Pixel Pets

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Resets progress and pets when phone restarts
  • Transparent background not working
  • Subscription issues and locked features
  • Pets disappearing from Dynamic Island

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free pet options
  • Ability to interact with pets outside of app
  • Syncing between Apollo and Pixel Pals
  • Customizable pet animations and behaviors

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Pets

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Subscriptions4
  • Pixel Pals Premium Monthly BF$1.591 Month
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Monthly)3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Pixel Pals Premium Yearly BF$11.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Yearly)3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time4
  • Food Pack Small$0.99
  • Food Pack Large$4.99
  • Premium Lifetime Black Friday$48.49
Show 1 more
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Lifetime)$49.99

Questions

Is Pixel Pets free?
Pixel Pets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game free?
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Pets or Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game?
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game is rated higher. Pixel Pets averages 4.0 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game averages 4.6 from 37K ratings.
Do Pixel Pets or Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game have ads?
Neither Pixel Pets nor Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Pets or Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game?
Pixel Pets ships an update every 4 days, and Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game every 2 days. Most recently, Pixel Pets was updated on October 22, 2026 and Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game on October 24, 2026.

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