# The Marimo vs Garden Eel

The clearest difference is rating: Garden Eel at 5.0 against The Marimo's 4.4. Garden Eel also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). The Marimo's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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.

Garden Eel holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Marimo has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Marimo | Garden Eel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-marimo/id398361669/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garden-eel/id955224415/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 18 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kosuke Ogawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/379825481) | [KENSHI DOI](https://appshunter.io/developer/709264908) |

## 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


### Garden Eel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garden-eel/id955224415)

A relaxing simulator where you nurture garden eels by managing their environment. Swipe to create currents, clean the seabed, and feed your eels to help them grow. Drive away unwanted sea creatures to ensure a thriving habitat.

**Highlights:** Swipe to create currents, Clean the seabed, Feed garden eels, Drive away sea creatures, 5 kinds of garden eels, Apple Watch support, iCloud data saving

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Marimo free?

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

### Is Garden Eel free?

Garden Eel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Marimo or Garden Eel?

Garden Eel is rated higher. The Marimo averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Garden Eel averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do The Marimo or Garden Eel have ads?

Both The Marimo and Garden Eel show ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Marimo or Garden Eel?

The Marimo ships an update every 3 months, and Garden Eel every 3 months. Most recently, The Marimo was updated on October 12, 2026 and Garden Eel on October 7, 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.*