The Marimo vs Cats and Sharks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Marimo
Care for a virtual green ball creature that grows over time. Keep its environment clean and provide light to ensure its survival. Customize its appearance and interact with it through various gestures.
- Virtual pet care
- Growth simulation
- Environment maintenance
- Customization options
- Interactive controls
- Social sharing
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Thank you 1,130,000 download!! [About Marimo] Marimo means a plant like a green ball which grow in Hokkaido, Japan. You can raise a Marimo. A marimo will grow up little by little every day. When water become dirty, you need to refresh water. If you don't take care of a Marimo long time, Marimo will wither. [Other Features] - You can rename Marimo, and change background. - Drag to move Marimo. - Double tap to pick tap Marimo. - Rotate marimo with two finger. - Marimo moves by the direction of the device. - You can upload image of Marimo on Twitter/Facebook. - Photosynthesis occurs in a bright place.
Cats and Sharks
Cultivate a delightful 3D garden to draw in numerous feline companions. Observe over 40 distinct cat breeds and their herbivorous shark friends engage in adorable animations. Simply provide food to foster friendships and discover what other creatures might visit.
- Create a charming 3D garden
- Attract over 40 types of cats
- Befriend herbivorous sharks
- Observe cute animal actions
- Easy to play simulation
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A simulation game that is easy to play. Create a charming garden to attract a variety of cats. See over 40 types of cats and their friend sharks perform some cute actions. *The sharks of this town are herbivorous, and they love seaweed! Easy to play! Just leave them some food and become friends with the cats! Maybe animals other than sharks will come to play too? Note: This app includes AD(banner/video) This app requests notification (option). This app requests access to Album storage for game screenshot. (option)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Cats and Sharks at every 6 days against The Marimo's every 3 months. Cats and Sharks also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (473 vs 16). The Marimo's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (79% vs 69%). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Cats and Sharks holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cats and Sharks has 473 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of The Marimo's written reviews are positive against 69% of Cats and Sharks's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Marimo ships an update every 3 months, Cats and Sharks every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | The Marimo | Cats and Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (16 ratings) | 4.8 (473 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews — better | 68.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 473 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kosuke Ogawa | Ryota Kikuchi |
Customer experience
The Marimo
Cats and Sharks
Bugs and requests
The Marimo
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Cats and Sharks
Reported bugs
15 issues- Freezing after watching advertisement videos
- OK button becomes unresponsive after ads
- Rewards not credited despite watching ads
- Advertisement videos fail to load
- Camera rotation stuck or limited
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- Items disappearing from game world
- Items unable to be repositioned
- Game crashes on initial menu interaction
- Tutorial menu unresponsive
- Daily mission counters not updating
- Notification system not functioning
- Cats disappearing or going 'on holiday'
- Red ball and watermelon vanishing
- Screen freezing during item placement
- Fish bone rewards not accumulating properly
Requested features
18 requests- 360-degree camera rotation capability
- Slower day/night cycle transitions
- Expand island/map size
- New cat species and varieties
- More shark types and interactions
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- Interior house expansion (multiple floors)
- Cat customization and naming
- Direct cat interaction (petting, tricks)
- New locations and environments
- More furniture and decoration items
- Sound notifications for new cat arrivals
- Music/audio in gameplay
- Ability to own/raise sharks
- Mini-games and activities
- Cloud save/account system
- Toggle UI elements visibility
- Better furniture placement mechanics
- Seaweed farming for sharks
In-app purchases
The Marimo
No in-app purchases
Cats and Sharks
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Marimo free?
Is Cats and Sharks free?
Which has better reviews, The Marimo or Cats and Sharks?
Do The Marimo or Cats and Sharks have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Marimo or Cats and Sharks?
Other comparisons
