# The Marimo vs Gold Fish Pet

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gold Fish Pet at every 10 days against The Marimo's every 3 months. Gold Fish Pet also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). The Marimo's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 71%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Gold Fish Pet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 41 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of The Marimo's written reviews are positive against 71% of Gold Fish Pet'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, Gold Fish Pet every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Marimo | Gold Fish Pet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-marimo/id398361669/reviews) | **[4.7 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gold-fish-pet/id1622967925/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **41** |
| Positive reviews | **78.9% of reviews** | 70.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 18 MB | 148 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kosuke Ogawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/379825481) | [sio honda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1467585268) |

## 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


### Gold Fish Pet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gold-fish-pet/id1622967925)

Nurture and care for virtual goldfish on your smartphone. This simple healing application allows you to feed, clean, and watch your fish grow while enjoying relaxing music. You can even name your fish and sell them to get new ones.

**Highlights:** Virtual goldfish care, Feeding and cleaning mechanics, Goldfish growth tracking, Real-time size updates, Relaxing background music, Customizable fish names, Notifications for care tasks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Marimo free?

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

### Is Gold Fish Pet free?

Gold Fish Pet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Marimo or Gold Fish Pet?

Gold Fish Pet is rated higher. The Marimo averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Gold Fish Pet averages 4.7 from 41 ratings.

### Do The Marimo or Gold Fish Pet have ads?

Both The Marimo and Gold Fish Pet show ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Marimo or Gold Fish Pet?

The Marimo ships an update every 3 months, and Gold Fish Pet every 10 days. Most recently, The Marimo was updated on November 10, 2026 and Gold Fish Pet on November 3, 2026.

---

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