Comparison

Whale Trail vs Jetpack Joyride

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Whale Trail

Embark on a vibrant journey as a whale, collecting items, performing aerial maneuvers, and battling enemies. Unlock new characters, enhance abilities, and explore numerous challenge levels. Enjoy a visually stunning and engaging arcade experience.

Highlights
  • Fly as Willow the Whale
  • Collect Blubbles and earn Krill
  • Unlock playable friends
  • Upgrade Willow's skills
  • Smash enemies
  • 96 Challenge levels
  • Classic and Challenge game modes
Features
Read full description

***Previously Apple Game of the Week*** 26,000+ 5 Star Ratings! (and counting) Fly as Willow the Whale, collect Blubbles, loop the loop, unlock playable friends, upgrade Willow's skills, smash enemies and meet bonkers characters along the way. ================================= > ‘The next smash hit in iOS gaming.’ - TNW > ‘The game is GORGEOUSLY cute. Try it out for a buck.’ - Gizmodo > ‘Whale Trail is an absolute joy.’ - TouchArcade > ‘The kind of winningly simple concept from which App Store phenomena are made.’ - Edge > ‘Impossible not to like, stellar production values and solid gameplay.’ - Pocket Gamer > ‘Ditch your jetpack, it’s time to ride the psychedelic Whale Trail.’ - Kotaku > ‘It’s simple and gorgeous. There’s rarely been a better gaming value for money.’ - T3 ================================= • Soundtrack by Gruff Rhys of ‘The Super Furry Animals’ • Simple and intuitive one touch gameplay • 2 game modes, Classic and Challenge • Earn Krill and use it in Willow's store • Upgrade Willow's skills • Unlock playable friends • Use 'Treats' while flying for instant bonuses! • 96 Challenge levels, can you 3 STAR them all? • Smash the Thunder Bros in 'Frenzy' mode • Launch into space at speed-boosts • Compete against friends with Game Center • Heaps of challenging missions to unlock

About

Jetpack Joyride

Embark on an exhilarating endless running adventure with a variety of jetpacks, vehicles, and costumes. Dodge obstacles, collect coins, and complete missions to achieve high scores and unlock new items. This action-packed game offers simple controls and thrilling gameplay for hours of entertainment.

Highlights
  • Fly cool jetpacks
  • Ride crazy vehicles
  • Complete daring missions
  • Customize outfits
  • Dodge lasers and missiles
  • Collect coins
  • Equip high-tech gadgets
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Bullet-powered jetpacks! Giant mechanical dragons! Birds that shoot money! From the makers of the global hit game, Fruit Ninja comes this insane, high flying endless runner that will keep you on the edge of your seat! It's time to join Barry Steakfries and equip the coolest jetpacks, suit up in stylish costumes and ride crazy vehicles in his endless running quest to beat the scientists to the end of the lab. Over 750 million players have made Jetpack Joyride one of the best games on the App Store! Download FREE now to start a new game and escape the lab! PLAYER REVIEWS: “I’m speechless. The game is just so entertaining! I’m saving up my money for flash the dog. There is so many freaking things to get and do! Fly in style with a cool Jetpack, skins and vehicles, avoid the lazerbeams and don’t get shot by the grenades! #BESTGAMEONEARTH” - Nyah Gamez – Jan 7, 2020 “Music and sound and graphics are awesome. Gameplay is thrilling and the coins are the best. I love the gadgets. So many arcade games need these. Awesome game.” - Yodoja reviews – Jan 4, 2020 “Now I’ve played a lot of mobile games but this is amazing I remember the first time I played this game and I loved it to pieces it is a amazing game" - drearylizard230 – Jan 4, 2020 FEATURES: ● Fly the coolest jetpacks in gaming history ● Surf the wave-rider in all its glory ● Complete daring missions to boost your rank ● Customise your look with ridiculous outfits ● Dodge lasers, zappers, and guided missiles ● Collect coins and make millions of dollars ● Storm the lab in giant mechs and crazy vehicles ● Equip high-tech gadgets and power-ups ● Earn achievements and battle it out against friends ● Test your reflexes with simple one-touch controls ● New free game modes in special events *** This game contains optional in-app purchases. You can disable this feature in the settings menu of your device. View our privacy policy at http://halfbrick.com/pp View our terms of service at http://halfbrick.com/tos

Screenshots

Whale Trail4 screens
Jetpack Joyride4 screens

Verdict

The call

Whale Trail and Jetpack Joyride both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Whale Trail's written reviews are positive against 67% of Jetpack Joyride's. Whale Trail also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Jetpack Joyride's advantage is ratings volume (103K vs 4.3K) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Whale Trail sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Jetpack Joyride sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Whale Trail against 4.7 for Jetpack Joyride. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jetpack Joyride has 103K ratings behind it against 4.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Whale Trail's written reviews are positive against 67% of Jetpack Joyride's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Whale Trail ships an update every 2 months, Jetpack Joyride every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Whale Trail versus Jetpack Joyride: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhale TrailJetpack Joyride
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4.3K ratings) — better4.7 (103K ratings)
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews — better67.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.3K103K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#96 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB399 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerustwo gamesHalfbrick

Customer experience

Whale Trail

All ratings4,251 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews504 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

Jetpack Joyride

All ratings102,777 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews879 reviews
Positive67.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative25.3%

User reviews

Whale Trail

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🐳 Cute and fun game
  • 🎶 Wonderful soundtrack
  • 👍 Simple and addictive gameplay
  • 🌈 Vibrant and colorful visuals
  • 🕰️ Nostalgic for long-time players

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🤖 Outdated for newer devices
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🤯 Challenging and frustrating at times

Jetpack Joyride

From 103K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 💡 Unique jetpack and character customization
  • 👍 Enjoyable soundtrack
  • 👍 Nostalgic for long-time players

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Excessive advertisements
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (crashes, freezing, progress loss)
  • 🔍 Repetitive missions and content
  • 🔍 Cluttered UI with too many prompts

Bugs and requests

Whale Trail

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Krill not properly credited after completing levels
  • Game freezing on certain device models
  • Whale controls not responsive on larger screens

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • More customization options for whales
  • Wider screen support for newer devices
  • Additional levels and worlds to explore

Jetpack Joyride

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Ads causing game to freeze or crash
  • Progress and high scores not saving properly
  • Gadgets and vehicle upgrades not working as expected
  • Audio issues (music cutting out)

Requested features

5 requests
  • More jetpack and character customization options
  • Improved mission variety
  • Ability to disable ads for a one-time fee
  • Cloud save/sync across devices
  • Multiplayer or competitive modes

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Whale Trail

One-time7
  • Unlock Pack 1$1.99
  • Unlock Pack 2$1.99
  • Pocket Money$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Unlock Pack 3$1.99
  • Bucket Full$2.99
  • Serious Clams$6.99
  • Swimming In It$19.99
10 purchases

Jetpack Joyride

One-time10
  • Starter Pack$0.99
  • Fistful of Coins$0.99
  • Coin Booster Pack (20,000)$1.99
Show 7 more
  • S.A.M. Mystery Reward$1.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • Coin Mega Pack (50,000)$3.99
  • Coin Doubler$4.99
  • Coin Ultra Pack (100,000)$5.99
  • Coin Barry Pack (250,000)$9.99
  • Coin Ultimate Pack (1,000,000)$29.99

Questions

Is Whale Trail free?
Whale Trail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jetpack Joyride free?
Jetpack Joyride is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Whale Trail or Jetpack Joyride?
Whale Trail is rated higher. Whale Trail averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while Jetpack Joyride averages 4.7 from 103K ratings.
Do Whale Trail or Jetpack Joyride have ads?
Both Whale Trail and Jetpack Joyride show ads.
Which is updated more often, Whale Trail or Jetpack Joyride?
Whale Trail ships an update every 2 months, and Jetpack Joyride every 2 weeks. Most recently, Whale Trail was updated on September 24, 2026 and Jetpack Joyride on September 24, 2026.

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