Comparison

Bubbles vs Talking Carl

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

Head to head
About

Bubbles

This app provides a playful and interactive experience for young children. It allows them to create and pop bubbles, draw letters, numbers, and shapes with a touch interface, offering a fun and engaging distraction.

Highlights
  • Create bubbles by dragging
  • Pop bubbles by tapping
  • See bubbles fly
  • Experience gravity physics
  • Draw bubble letters
  • Draw bubble numbers
  • Draw bubble shapes
Features
Read full description

For toddlers and parents who need a fun distraction. • Hear bubbles popping. • See bubbles fly from your fingers. • Feel gravity pull your bubbles downward. • Draw bubble letters, numbers, and shapes. I created Bubbles to entertain my daughter for a 12 hour plane flight to Korea in 2008 (She's 16 now!). I hope it provides some entertainment for you and your kids too. My favorite is to play Bubbles with my kids before bed. We try to draw letters, numbers, or just fling them about. Tip: Flip your iPad or iPhone upside down to slow the bubbles down for easier drawing. Have fun!

About

Talking Carl

Interact with a funny talking character by talking, tickling, and feeding him. He repeats your words with a silly voice and reacts to your actions with laughs, growls, and more. Features a baby mode for younger children.

Highlights
  • Talk and hear words repeated
  • Feed the character
  • Tickle for laughs
  • Poke for reactions
  • Baby mode for kids
  • Swipe gestures for actions
Features
Read full description

Talking Carl is the very first and still the funniest talking character on the App Store, he invented fun! Talk, sing, and play with him. Tickle him, punch him, feed him, and wait until you hear his laugh, it’s just irresistible. Carl has topped all the charts worldwide and has been featured across the globe. We think about small kids too: Use the Baby mode without any buttons: only Carl and no trouble! --------------- Features -------------- • Talk to him and he'll repeat your words with an hysterical voice. • Feed him with bones • Strike him by lightning • Tickle him and he will laugh out loud. • Poke his eyes and he will shout and yell. • Pinch him to hear him growling. • And if you forget him he will grumble. • Very Polite, he even says Goodbye. + Swipe up and he will fly... and fall + swipe down and hear the thunder + swipe left or right and he'll make a round-turn. Talking Carl is hours of laugh for children of any age. Parents, you'll love him too for the peacefulness it gives you while your kids are playing with him. But don’t try it! you’ll never give it back to them. --------- Our users says --------- "The only talking app that I recommend - There are quite a few of talking apps but Talking Carl is the best! I especially like that I can remove all the buttons so that my daughter will not be confused" "Great app for the kids! - My kids love playing with this app and found it easy to share the videos"

Screenshots

Bubbles2 screens
Talking Carl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Talking Carl at 4.3 against Bubbles's 3.2. Talking Carl also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 47%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). Bubbles's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#24 vs #161). 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

Bubbles costs $0.99 and Talking Carl $0.99 up front. Talking Carl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bubbles asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Talking Carl holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Talking Carl has 948 ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Bubbles's written reviews are positive against 71% of Talking Carl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bubbles ships an update every 3 months, Talking Carl every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Bubbles versus Talking Carl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBubblesTalking Carl
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating3.2 (64 ratings)4.3 (948 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.9% of reviews71.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64948 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#24 — better#161
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJesse GrosjeanTayasui.com

Customer experience

Bubbles

All ratings64 ratings
Positive53.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative43.8%
Written reviews507 reviews
Positive46.9%
Neutral12.4%
Negative40.6%

Talking Carl

All ratings765 ratings
Positive80.5%
Neutral3.5%
Negative15.9%
Written reviews745 reviews
Positive71.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative22.1%

User reviews

Bubbles

From 64 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Visually appealing bubbles
  • 🧒 Great for entertaining toddlers
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and calming
  • 🎉 Fun for all ages

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Limited features and functionality
  • 🔜 Bubbles disappear too quickly
  • 💰 Paid in-app purchases removed
  • 🤯 Creepy bubble faces

Talking Carl

From 948 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😊 Funny and entertaining
  • 🤩 Brings back childhood memories
  • 👍 Great for kids and adults
  • 💕 Cute and lovable character

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔧 Glitchy and buggy
  • 🕰️ Outdated and not updated
  • 🤖 Unresponsive voice recognition

Bugs and requests

Bubbles

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on certain devices
  • Issues with recent updates
  • Inability to access previous purchases

Requested features

4 requests
  • More bubble customization options
  • Ability to keep bubbles on screen longer
  • Restore previous in-app purchases
  • Add different bubble types and styles

Talking Carl

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Sprites and animations glitch out
  • Voice recording and playback issues
  • Incompatibility with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update the app to fix bugs and glitches
  • Add more features and interactions
  • Bring back old fan-favorite games and modes
  • Improve voice recognition and responsiveness

In-app purchases

None

Bubbles

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Talking Carl

One-time1
  • Sticker Pack$0.99

Questions

Is Bubbles free?
Bubbles costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Talking Carl free?
Talking Carl costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bubbles or Talking Carl?
Talking Carl is rated higher. Bubbles averages 3.2 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Talking Carl averages 4.3 from 948 ratings.
Do Bubbles or Talking Carl have ads?
Neither Bubbles nor Talking Carl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bubbles or Talking Carl?
Bubbles ships an update every 3 months, and Talking Carl every 5 weeks. Most recently, Bubbles was updated on November 6, 2026 and Talking Carl on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Bubbles or Talking Carl?
Bubbles currently peaks at #24 in the App Store charts, and Talking Carl at #161. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons