# Plant Tycoon ® vs Wacky Genes

The clearest difference is rating: Wacky Genes at 3.9 against Plant Tycoon ®'s 3.1. Wacky Genes also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 19 months) and review sentiment (68% vs 39%). Plant Tycoon ®'s advantage is ratings volume (292 vs 37) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plant Tycoon ® sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Wacky Genes sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Wacky Genes holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plant Tycoon ® has 292 ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Plant Tycoon ®'s written reviews are positive against 68% of Wacky Genes's.

Plant Tycoon ® ships an update every 19 months, Wacky Genes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plant Tycoon ® | Wacky Genes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (292 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-tycoon/id402364952/reviews) | **[3.9 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wacky-genes/id1641711708/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **292** | 37 |
| Positive reviews | 38.7% of reviews | **68.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 47 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LDW Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297606729) | [Joel Brecker](https://appshunter.io/developer/1466722019) |

## What reviewers say

### Plant Tycoon ®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-tycoon/id402364952)

Nurture a virtual greenhouse, breeding and cross-breeding plants to discover rare species and solve a genetic puzzle. Manage your plants' health, sell creations to fund research, and customize your garden. This simulation game offers a persistent world and real-time gameplay.

**Highlights:** Breed and cross-breed plants, Discover rare and magic plant species, Manage plant health and growth, Sell plants to fund research, Customize virtual garden, Collectible insects, Genetic puzzle solving

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Plant Bucks | $0.99 | one-time |
| 60 Plant Bucks | $4.99 | one-time |
| 150 Plant Bucks | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌱 Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 🔍 Interesting plant breeding mechanics
- 🕰️ Ability to adjust game speed
- 🤖 Nostalgic for fans of the original PC version

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Excessive reliance on in-app purchases (plant bucks)
- 🔒 Inability to earn plant bucks through gameplay
- 🌱 Slow progression without purchasing plant bucks
- 🐛 Buggy and unresponsive controls (clipping, etc.)
- 🌱 Plants die too quickly without premium soil

**Reported bugs**

- Game resets progress after in-app purchases
- Crashes and freezes, especially when handling magic plants
- Nursery sales not registering correctly

**Requested features**

- Ability to earn plant bucks through gameplay (e.g. watching ads, completing challenges)
- Option to purchase the full game upfront without in-app purchases
- Plant catalog/encyclopedia to track discovered species
- Increased seed storage capacity
- Faster growth rates for plants


### Wacky Genes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wacky-genes/id1641711708)

Engage in a fantasy-based animal genetics game where you breed creatures with billions of gene variations. Nurture, breed, and explore to discover rare forms, fortify your lab, and uncover treasures. Challenge yourself to breed out illnesses and ascend rarity tiers.

**Highlights:** Billions of gene variations, Selective breeding, Punnet square science, Animal expeditions for treasures, Breeding out illnesses, Ascend rarity tiers

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

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Wacky Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Breed Cooldown | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Breed Count | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Baby Now | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Birth Now | $1.99 | one-time |
| Expert Arena Token | $1.99 | one-time |
| 250 Wacky Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 500 Wacky Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Rare Egg | $2.99 | one-time |
| 5 Breed Cooldown | $2.99 | one-time |
| Rare Egg (3-pack) | $4.99 | one-time |
| 3 Expert Arena Tokens | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate Arena Token | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Wacky Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Breeder Bundle | $6.99 | one-time |
| Legendary Egg | $7.99 | one-time |
| 3 Ultimate Arena Tokens | $9.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Wacky Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| Legendary Egg (3-pack) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| 10,000 Wacky Coins | $39.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Wacky Coins | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plant Tycoon ® free?

Plant Tycoon ® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Wacky Genes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Plant Tycoon ® or Wacky Genes?

Wacky Genes is rated higher. Plant Tycoon ® averages 3.1 out of 5 from 292 ratings, while Wacky Genes averages 3.9 from 37 ratings.

### Do Plant Tycoon ® or Wacky Genes have ads?

Neither Plant Tycoon ® nor Wacky Genes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Plant Tycoon ® or Wacky Genes?

Plant Tycoon ® ships an update every 19 months, and Wacky Genes every 5 days. Most recently, Plant Tycoon ® was updated on October 18, 2026 and Wacky Genes on October 17, 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.*