Pixel Pets vs Petopia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Animated pixel pets
- Home Screen customization
- Lock Screen customization
- Interactive pet care
- Dynamic Island integration
- Live Notifications display
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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!
Petopia
Bring adorable pixel art animals to your iPhone's Dynamic Island, Home Screen, and Lock Screen. These companions change expressions with the time of day and react to your interactions, offering a cozy, ad-free experience with optional one-time purchases for premium pets and outfits.
- Dynamic Island pet integration
- Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
- Time-based pet expressions
- Interactive pet reactions
- Seasonal costumes for pets
- Daily rewards and fortunes
- Ad-free experience
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A little pixel friend, by your side every day. It's on your Lock Screen and in your Home Screen widgets too: sleepy in the morning, playful at noon, snoozing at night. Pick your favorite of 42 friends, dress them up, and spend a quiet moment together every day. No ads. No subscriptions. DYNAMIC ISLAND - Your pet lives at the top of your screen, with a face for morning, day and night - Long-press to open their card, read what they have to say, and give them a pat - No Dynamic Island? Your pet can still keep you company on the Lock Screen LOCK SCREEN & WIDGETS - Home Screen widgets in 3 sizes and 9 styles: dollhouse, clock, calendar, photo, a daily line and more - Lock Screen widgets, too - Save up to 10 widget looks A PIXEL DOLLHOUSE - Your pets wander, blink and nap in a cozy pixel room - Give them a pat and each one reacts in its own way - The room turns to night when you do 42 FRIENDS - Start with 6: dog, cat, bunny, hamster, otter and lovebird - Shiba, corgi, chihuahua, black cat, calico, penguin, java sparrow, capybara, axolotl, sea otter, panda and more - Welcome new friends with candy you get every day DRESS UP - Ribbons and seasonal outfits - What they wear shows in the Dynamic Island and in widgets - Try outfits on before you choose LITTLE DAILY JOYS - A letter from your pet - A daily fortune - Treats that make you closer friends - A stamp card with bonuses - Photo mode for a keepsake shot together SEASONAL EVENTS - Limited outfits for Halloween and other seasons MADE TO FEEL SAFE - No ads, no subscriptions - Sign in with Apple to keep your pets when you change phones - Available in 34 languages A little pixel friend, quietly by your side every day.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Petopia at 5.0 against Pixel Pets's 4.0. Pixel Pets's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price 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
Both are free to download. Petopia sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Pixel Pets asks for nothing beyond the download.
Petopia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Pets has 50 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pixel Pets ships an update every 4 days, Petopia every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixel Pets | Petopia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (50 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 50 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 301 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mobile Smart Growth | Shogo Shibuya |
Customer experience
Pixel Pets
Petopia
In-app purchases
Pixel Pets
No in-app purchases
Petopia
- 100 Candies$0.99
- Starter Pack$2.99
- 350 Candies$2.99
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- 800 Candies$5.99
- 2500 Candies$14.99
- 6000 Candies$29.99
