Comparison

Fish Tycoon vs AQUALIA

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

Head to head
About

Fish Tycoon

Breed and care for over 400 species of fish in a virtual aquarium. Solve genetic puzzles to discover 7 magical fish and manage your business by selling your creations. The game progresses in real time, even when offline.

Highlights
  • Virtual fish breeding
  • Genetic puzzle solving
  • Over 400 fish species
  • Real-time gameplay
  • Aquarium customization
  • Virtual pet care
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

***ON SALE: $0.99 for a short time! If you'be been waiting to grab the full version, now is your chance!*** Fish Tycoon is the award-winning virtual fish breeding game from the creators of the acclaimed Virtual Villagers series. Starting with $300 and a handful of eggs gathered from the fabled island of Isola, your goal is to unlock the genetic puzzle and discover the 7 Magic Fish of Isola. You will breed and care for more than 400 species of fish, financing your operation by selling your creations to eager customers. A wide variety of aquarium supplies are available to equip and customize your tanks, care for your fish, and magically enhance your aquariums. The game continues to progress in true real time, even when your iPhone or iPod Touch is turned off, so don’t forget to check in regularly to feed your fish, cure their illnesses, and create the next generation of baby fish! More about Fish Tycoon: * It’s a virtual pet: care for your fish in your own virtual aquarium. * It’s a simulation game: maintain virtual fish in a persistent world. * It’s a genetic puzzle: discover which breeding combinations will lead to the discovery of the 7 Magic Fish. * It’s a tycoon game: test your business and aquarium skills at the same time! * Over 400 species of fish to breed. * Customize your tanks: purchase aquarium ornaments and place them where you like them! * Real-time game play: new surprises every time you turn on the game! Winner of these awards: - "Best Simulation Game" - PDArcade - "Best Application for Play" - Handango - "Silver Award" GameTunnel - "Parents Choice Recommended Award" - "iParenting Media Award" Recommended for people who enjoy casual sims, aquarium simulations, fish games, virtual pets, and strategy games. For the latest info, and to find out what else we're cookin' up, follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/LastDayofWork

About

AQUALIA

Design and manage your dream aquarium, raising over 180 types of tropical fish. Decorate your tank with hundreds of items, feed your fish, and keep it clean for their steady growth. Enjoy mini-games to earn rewards and unlock new content.

Highlights
  • Raise 180+ fish types
  • Decorate with 280+ items
  • Fish feeding and tank cleaning
  • Level up fish for upgrades
  • Play integrated mini-games
  • Earn rare fish and decorations
Features
Read full description

We present to you the most beautiful fish tank in the world. Fill your fish tank with a variety of tropical fish and design the aquarium with your own concept. 1. The fun of raising various fish You can purchase eggs from over 180 types of fish and hatch and grow them yourself. Over time, the fish get hungry and the tank gets dirty. Feed the fish and keep the fish tank clean to ensure steady growth. 2. Decorate your own aquarium Create your own aquarium by arranging over 280 types of decorations as you wish. You can create a variety of aquariums that you could only dream of. 3. Grow and level up your fish! Grow your fish to 100% and upgrade levels as you gain experience. Each time you level up, fish tanks with more diverse concepts await you. 4. When you’re bored, play a mini game! Do you feel like the time spent growing fish is boring? Enjoy the high-quality mini games prepared for you. Rare fish and decorations can be obtained as bonuses! Instagram: @aqualia_game Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aqualia.game

Screenshots

Fish Tycoon4 screens
AQUALIA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AQUALIA at Free against Fish Tycoon's $0.99. AQUALIA also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). Fish Tycoon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume 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

AQUALIA is free to download; Fish Tycoon costs $0.99 up front. AQUALIA sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Fish Tycoon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AQUALIA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Fish Tycoon's written reviews are positive against 69% of AQUALIA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fish Tycoon ships an update every 2 months, AQUALIA monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Fish Tycoon versus AQUALIA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFish TycoonAQUALIA
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (1.8K ratings)4.7 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews68.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better1K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#59 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB224 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLDW Software, LLCLigensoft

Customer experience

Fish Tycoon

All ratings1,804 ratings
Positive81.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews541 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral14.2%
Negative26.4%

AQUALIA

All ratings995 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews156 reviews
Positive68.6%
Neutral14.7%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Fish Tycoon

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nostalgic and enjoyable game
  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 💡 Unique fish breeding mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Blurry graphics and unreadable text
  • ⏱️ Slow progression and long wait times
  • 💰 Expensive in-game items

AQUALIA

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🎶 Relaxing music
  • 🔍 Detailed fish information
  • 🎮 Fun mini-games
  • 📺 No intrusive ads

Room to improve

  • 🤖 AI-generated art
  • 🔍 Unclear game mechanics
  • 🧭 Limited camera controls
  • 🐟 Mixing of freshwater and saltwater fish
  • 🔁 Repetitive tasks

Bugs and requests

Fish Tycoon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game resets progress after using 'start over' option
  • Fish dying unexpectedly even with proper care
  • Inventory issues with purchased items

Requested features

5 requests
  • More fish varieties and breeding options
  • Ability to decorate and customize tanks
  • Push notifications for important events
  • Faster fish growth and breeding cycles
  • More affordable in-game items

AQUALIA

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Flashing logo causing seizure concerns
  • Slow server load times
  • Progress not saving properly
  • Inconsistent hitboxes in mini-games

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to sell or remove fish from main tank
  • Automatic fish growth and tank maintenance
  • Separate tanks for freshwater and saltwater fish
  • More mini-game options
  • Ability to name and level up fish
Show 1 more
  • Expanded tank customization options

In-app purchases

None

Fish Tycoon

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

AQUALIA

One-time10
  • 600,000 Hearts$1.99
  • Green field Decoration Set$1.99
  • Water Puppy Flowerhorn$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Beautiful Betta Fishes Package$3.99
  • Koi Fish Package$4.99
  • 1,500,000 Hearts$4.99
  • 2,400,000 Hearts$6.99
  • Dreamland Turtle Aquarium$9.99
  • Mystical Arowana Aquarium Set$12.99
  • Waddling Ranchu Aquarium Set$14.99

Questions

Is Fish Tycoon free?
Fish Tycoon costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AQUALIA free?
AQUALIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fish Tycoon or AQUALIA?
AQUALIA is rated higher. Fish Tycoon averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while AQUALIA averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do Fish Tycoon or AQUALIA have ads?
AQUALIA shows ads; Fish Tycoon does not.
Which is updated more often, Fish Tycoon or AQUALIA?
Fish Tycoon ships an update every 2 months, and AQUALIA monthly. Most recently, Fish Tycoon was updated on November 6, 2026 and AQUALIA on November 4, 2026.

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