# Tickling dog vs Hello, Mario!

The clearest difference is ads: Hello, Mario! at none against Tickling dog's shown. Hello, Mario! also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (326 vs 13). Tickling dog's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Tickling dog against 4.6 for Hello, Mario!. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hello, Mario! has 326 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Tickling dog's written reviews are positive against 90% of Hello, Mario!'s.

Tickling dog ships an update every 19 months, Hello, Mario! every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tickling dog | Hello, Mario! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tickling-dog/id535048255/reviews) | **[4.6 (326 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hello-mario/id6746391951/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **326** |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | **89.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 16 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [inline planning](https://appshunter.io/developer/505964982) | [Nintendo Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1062496488) |

## What reviewers say

### Tickling dog

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tickling-dog/id535048255)

Interact with virtual dogs by tickling their fingers and petting their bellies. Watch them react with joy, sounds, and expressions as you play, offering a heartwarming and stress-relieving experience.

**Highlights:** Tickle virtual dog's fingers, Pet virtual dog's belly, Dogs react with joy, Full joy gauge, Variety of dog voices and expressions, Heart-healing experience

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hello, Mario!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hello-mario/id6746391951)

Engage with Mario's face by pulling, stretching, and poking him to create various expressions. Add iconic items and characters from the Mushroom Kingdom to the scene. Enjoy interactive play with a built-in feature that encourages screen time breaks.

**Highlights:** Manipulate Mario's face, Add game items and characters, Play peekaboo with Mario, Built-in screen time breaks, Offline play

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tickling dog free?

Tickling dog is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hello, Mario! free?

Hello, Mario! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tickling dog or Hello, Mario!?

Hello, Mario! is rated higher. Tickling dog averages 4.6 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Hello, Mario! averages 4.6 from 326 ratings.

### Do Tickling dog or Hello, Mario! have ads?

Tickling dog shows ads; Hello, Mario! does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tickling dog or Hello, Mario!?

Tickling dog ships an update every 19 months, and Hello, Mario! every 4 months. Most recently, Tickling dog was updated on October 26, 2026 and Hello, Mario! on November 1, 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.*