Comparison

iQuarium vs RYUKIN

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

Head to head
About

iQuarium

A virtual aquarium app designed for relaxation and stress relief. Watch your fish swim, feed them, and interact with them in a calming environment. Discover new decorations to personalize your tank and develop your fish's unique personality.

Highlights
  • Virtual fish tank simulation
  • Interactive fish care (feeding, playing)
  • Discover and place decorations
  • Develop fish personality
  • Relaxing ambient sounds
  • Personalizable aquarium space
Features
Read full description

****************************************** "Simplicity At It’s Most Beautiful" - touchreviews.net "One of the best looking apps for the iDevice" - touchmyapps.com "10 of the Most Beautiful iPhone & iPod Touch Apps" - cultofmac.com "The entire app interface is top-notch." - appsmile.com "I love everything about iQuarium" - touchmyapps.com "A great, easy to play, relaxing game that will keep you coming back" - appsized.com ****************************************** For everyday stress iQuarium is more than enough to relax. Chill out while watching your Parrot Chichlid fish swimming in its tank, feed it, play with it, interact with it or... do nothing - just listen to your own relaxing music and the air bubbles climbing up slowly to the water surface and let iQuarium soothe you and calm you down. As time passes by you will find new decorative items in your inventory so you can arrange your relaxing space whatever way you like. Just don't forget that your fish is a living creature and it depends entirely on you what kind of personality it will develop! iQuarium provides a sensation of relaxation and calm but still delivers tons of entertainment and fun! *Any in-app purchase removes the adverts in the game and unlock the full version.

About

RYUKIN

Experience the serene beauty of goldfish swimming in a customizable virtual aquarium. Interact with the fish, adjust tank settings, and enjoy soothing visuals and sounds. Perfect for relaxation or a calming presence.

Highlights
  • Interactive goldfish that respond to touch
  • Customizable tank shape and background
  • Soothing water sounds and visuals
  • Cat & Baby Mode for safe interaction
  • Sleep timer for bedtime use
  • Play your own music
  • Clock and date display
Features
Read full description

~ Gracefully Fluttering Goldfish ~ Goldfish glide gracefully through crystal-clear water, their fins fluttering gently as they swim. Their charming gestures and soft, delicate fin movements have been carefully recreated. Enjoy the beauty of goldfish anytime, anywhere — without the need for water changes or feeding. App Highlights - Fish respond to your touch and follow your finger - Customize tank shape, background color, and floating objects - Soothing water sounds and clear, refreshing visuals - "Cat & Baby Mode" for safe play with kittens and toddlers - Sleep timer for relaxing bedtime use - Play your favorite music while watching the aquarium - Clock and date display - White and black goldfish included; colorful and themed fish available via in-app purchase Settings & Customization - Camera options (Free position / Follow fish / Auto-rotation) - Screen orientation - Tilt sensitivity - Sleep timer - UI size - Toggle water surface, bubbles, and other effects - Adjust brightness, saturation, contrast, and color tone - Quality settings (resolution and various effects) - Volume settings (water sounds, bubble sounds) - Clock & date options (font, position, size) Other Features - Fish, objects, and the water surface respond to touch and device tilt - Fish may whimsically swim toward your finger - Tap too much and the fish may faint! - Feed the fish - Adjust the size of fish and objects - Display up to six fish at once ‥∴ Bringing the Allure of Goldfish Closer ∴‥ This app was born from a childhood dream of recreating goldfish through programming. Fifteen years after the release of the original app *Wa Kingyo*, countless refinements have been made to capture the graceful and charming nature of these fish. From the gentle movement of their fins to the way they chase and munch on food, experience the beauty and warmth that goldfish bring. News and Support X: @m_hakozaki TikTok: @m_hakozaki Instagram: @masataka.hakozaki

Screenshots

iQuarium4 screens
RYUKIN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iQuarium at Free against RYUKIN's $3.49. iQuarium also leads on ratings volume (240 vs 62) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). RYUKIN's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (94% vs 61%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

iQuarium is free to download; RYUKIN costs $3.49 up front. iQuarium sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and RYUKIN sells 35 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RYUKIN holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 240 and 62 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of iQuarium's written reviews are positive against 94% of RYUKIN's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iQuarium ships an update monthly, RYUKIN weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
iQuarium versus RYUKIN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriQuariumRYUKIN
PriceFree — better$3.49
Rating4.3 (240 ratings)4.9 (62 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.2% of reviews94.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings240 — better62
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#83 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB227 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInfinite DreamsMasataka Hakozaki

Customer experience

iQuarium

All ratings240 ratings
Positive82.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews307 reviews
Positive61.2%
Neutral12.7%
Negative26.1%

RYUKIN

All ratings62 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive94.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.0%

User reviews

iQuarium

From 240 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🐟 Realistic fish behavior
  • 🌱 Relaxing aquarium experience
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and animations
  • 🕰️ Useful clock feature

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Slow progression and unlocking of new items
  • 🐟 Limited number of fish
  • 🛑 Lack of updates and new content
  • 💤 Boring after initial novelty wears off

RYUKIN

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Gorgeous and lifelike fish
  • 🎨 Beautiful and customizable environments
  • 🎶 Soothing water sounds
  • 🕰️ Useful clock feature
  • 👍 Immersive and relaxing experience

Room to improve

  • 🔋 High battery consumption on max settings
  • 💰 Additional fish require paid purchases
  • 🌱 Lack of plant/natural decor options
  • 🐟 Limited variety of standard goldfish

Bugs and requests

iQuarium

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Crashing and performance problems
  • Inconsistent point tracking and unlocking

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more fish species and color variations
  • Implement fish breeding and baby fish
  • Allow for more customization and decoration of the aquarium
  • Introduce new interactive elements and mini-games

RYUKIN

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Occasional crashing on high-end devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to change fish colors
  • Add more fish species (e.g. bettas, tetras)
  • Implement fish breeding/growth mode
  • Allow customizing fish placement in tank
  • Add desktop/widget mode for always-on display

In-app purchases

9 purchases

iQuarium

One-time9
  • 5000 Points$0.99
  • 5000 Points + Pirate Theme$0.99
  • 5000 Points + Zombie Theme$0.99
Show 6 more
  • Pink Theme$0.99
  • Military Theme$0.99
  • Gangsta Theme$0.99
  • Christmas Theme$0.99
  • Happy New Year Theme$0.99
  • Bundle (4 Themes + 5000 pts)$2.99
35 purchases

RYUKIN

One-time35
  • WIREFRAME RAINBOW$0.99
  • ROBO FISH 02$1.99
  • ROBO FISH 04$1.99
Show 32 more
  • ROBO FISH 06$1.99
  • GHOST BRIDE$1.99
  • BAT FISH$1.99
  • CALICO ORANGE/WHITE/BLACK$1.99
  • BLACK WHITE KITTY FISH$1.99
  • GHOST TRANSLUCENT$1.99
  • BLACK KITTY FISH$1.99
  • WHITE KITTY FISH$1.99
  • ROBO FISH 03$1.99
  • GHOST BLACK$1.99
  • ROBO FISH 01$1.99
  • ORANGE & WHITE KITTY FISH$1.99
  • RED RYUKIN$1.99
  • RED-WHITE RYUKIN$1.99
  • CALICO RED/WHITE/BLACK$1.99
  • ORANGE/WHITE$1.99
  • CALICO RED/GRAY/BLACK$1.99
  • YELLOW GOLD RYUKIN$1.99
  • RED CAP ORANDA$1.99
  • RED/WHITE II$1.99
  • LIONHEAD ORANGE/WHITE/BLACK$1.99
  • GHOST LUMINOUS$1.99
  • BLACK RYUKIN$1.99
  • CALICO KITTY FISH$1.99
  • GRAY WHITE KITTY FISH$1.99
  • WHITE VAMPIRE$1.99
  • BLACK VAMPIRE$1.99
  • BLACK WITCH$1.99
  • WHITE WITCH$1.99
  • ZOMBIE FISH$1.99
  • SKELETON FISH$1.99
  • PANDA TELESCOPE$1.99

Questions

Is iQuarium free?
iQuarium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RYUKIN free?
RYUKIN costs $3.49, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iQuarium or RYUKIN?
RYUKIN is rated higher. iQuarium averages 4.3 out of 5 from 240 ratings, while RYUKIN averages 4.9 from 62 ratings.
Do iQuarium or RYUKIN have ads?
Neither iQuarium nor RYUKIN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iQuarium or RYUKIN?
iQuarium ships an update monthly, and RYUKIN weekly. Most recently, iQuarium was updated on October 23, 2026 and RYUKIN on October 27, 2026.

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