Comparison

Pixel Pets vs SpritePals

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

SpritePals

Transform your pet into a retro pixel companion for your iPhone's Dynamic Island, Lock Screen, and Home Screen widgets. Feed, play, and care for your digital pal, or choose from a variety of pre-made pixel pets. Enjoy a charming and interactive experience with your unique screen-based friend.

Highlights
  • AI pixel pet creation from photos
  • Ready-made retro pixel pals
  • Dynamic Island integration
  • Lock Screen Live Activities
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Interactive pet care (feed, play)
Features
Read full description

Turn your real pet into a retro digital companion for iPhone and Apple Watch. Care for your SpritePal and build a little world for them to explore. SpritePals lets you create a pixel pet with AI from a photo of your cat, dog, or favorite animal. Want to jump right in? Choose a ready-made SpritePal from the collection and keep them close on Dynamic Island, in Lock Screen Live Activities, and in Home Screen widgets. Feed your SpritePal, give them water, wash them, and play fetch together. Caring and playing earn XP and points. Your pal levels up, and you can spend your points on tiles, trees, houses, and other decorations. Every little moment of care helps your world grow. Features: - AI pixel pets: turn a photo of your cat, dog, or favorite animal into your own SpritePal - Your own world: lay tiles, place decorations, and watch your pal wander through the world you build - Feed, play, and care: serve food and water, wash your pal, and play a game of fetch - Levels and points: earn XP by caring for your pal and use your points to keep building - Pet widgets: add your SpritePal to your iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen - Dynamic Island and Live Activities: keep your digital companion in view, even outside the app - Apple Watch: bring your SpritePal to your wrist and view your world there too - Ready-made SpritePals: choose from a collection of retro pixel companions More possibilities with Pro: Unlock every ready-made SpritePal, extra food choices, and more room to expand your world, including all decorative tiles and Pro objects. Pro also includes Apple Watch complications, a second pal in Live Activities, and custom app icon export. Receive a one-time bonus of 10 tokens to generate your own SpritePals. From a photo of your pet to a little world in your pocket: create your first SpritePal and take them wherever you go.

Screenshots

Pixel Pets4 screens
SpritePals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixel Pets at none against SpritePals's 5. Pixel Pets also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 50%) and ratings volume (50 vs 13). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. SpritePals sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Pixel Pets asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Pixel Pets against 4.1 for SpritePals. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50 and 13 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Pixel Pets's written reviews are positive against 50% of SpritePals's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Pets ships an update every 4 days, SpritePals every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pixel Pets versus SpritePals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel PetsSpritePals
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (50 ratings)4.1 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings50 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size301 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobile Smart GrowthIvo van der Zee

Customer experience

Pixel Pets

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

SpritePals

All ratings11 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral18.2%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Pets

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

SpritePals

One-time5
  • 1 token$0.99
  • 3 tokens$1.99
  • 5 tokens$2.99
Show 2 more
  • 10 tokens$3.99
  • Pro (one-time)$5.99

Questions

Is Pixel Pets free?
Pixel Pets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SpritePals free?
SpritePals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Pets or SpritePals?
SpritePals is rated higher. Pixel Pets averages 4.0 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while SpritePals averages 4.1 from 13 ratings.
Do Pixel Pets or SpritePals have ads?
Neither Pixel Pets nor SpritePals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Pets or SpritePals?
Pixel Pets ships an update every 4 days, and SpritePals every 9 days. Most recently, Pixel Pets was updated on October 27, 2026 and SpritePals on October 28, 2026.

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