# The Marimo vs Roly

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Marimo at none against Roly's 10. Roly's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Roly sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Marimo asks for nothing beyond the download.

Roly holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roly has 268 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of The Marimo's written reviews are positive against 78% of Roly'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, Roly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Marimo | Roly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-marimo/id398361669/reviews) | **[4.7 (268 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roly-poly-friends/id1547824009/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **268** |
| Positive reviews | **79.6% of reviews** | 77.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 18 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kosuke Ogawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/379825481) | [Natsumi Morita](https://appshunter.io/developer/1538284849) |

## What reviewers say

### The Marimo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-marimo/id398361669)

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.

**Highlights:** Virtual pet care, Growth simulation, Environment maintenance, Customization options, Interactive controls, Social sharing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Roly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roly-poly-friends/id1547824009)

A relaxing simulation game where you nurture and grow a collection of pill bugs. Simple care routines like feeding and watering lead to an increasing number of colorful pill bugs. Enjoy a calming experience by naming your pets, changing the music, and capturing photos to share.

**Highlights:** Raise and grow pill bugs, Collect various colors, Simple care routine, Name your pill bugs, Change BGM, Take and share photos

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:CAMOUFLAGE | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:SPLASH | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:ZEBRA | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:GOLD | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:EMERALD | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:AMETHYST | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:PASTEL | $0.99 | one-time |
| PREMIUM Roly-Poly:STONE | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads 7 days | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads 30 days | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Marimo free?

The Marimo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Roly free?

Roly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Marimo or Roly?

Roly is rated higher. The Marimo averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Roly averages 4.7 from 268 ratings.

### Do The Marimo or Roly have ads?

Both The Marimo and Roly show ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Marimo or Roly?

The Marimo ships an update every 3 months, and Roly every 10 days. Most recently, The Marimo was updated on October 26, 2026 and Roly on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*