Comparison

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game vs Petopia

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Bring adorable pixel art pets to your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Live Activities. Customize your chosen companions and enjoy their presence as you navigate your device, adding a touch of joy to every interaction. A variety of animals are available to personalize and name.

Highlights
  • Customizable pixel art pets
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen customization
  • Live Activities integration
  • Variety of animal companions
  • Name customization
Features
Read full description

Pixel Pals is an incredible app for customizing your Home Screen and Lock Screen, as well as Live Activities, allowing you to place adorable pets called Pixel Pals that you can customize and enjoy as you swipe through your apps or unlock your phone, making each interaction just that much happier! They're beautiful pixel art renditions of animals, a nostalgic art style that's really delightful to take in. Pixel Pals includes a variety of animals for you to customize and enjoy: - Dog (named Rupert) - Cat (named Hugo) - Hedgehog (named Chortley) - Fox (named Finnegan) - Axolotl (named Mochi) - Otter (named Nugget) - Bat (named Fu-Fu) - Parrot (named Kiwi) - Tiger (named Herbert) - Platypus (named Penny) - Panda (named Poe) - Raccoon (named Oliver) - Butterfly (named Freya) - T-Rex (named Rory) - Bunny (named Thumper) - Red Panda (named Bao) - Pet Rock (named Dwayne) - Penguin (named Bubbles) You can also change any of the names! The dog and cat are included for all, and Pixel Pals Premium includes the other pals, as well as the option to pin two animals at once for supported devices. This app offers subscriptions for "Pixel Pals Premium". They're available (in United States pricing) for $1.49 monthly or $9.99 yearly. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period (and charged to your iTunes account). You can turn off auto-renew/manage subscriptions in your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use can be found at https://pixelpals.app/terms and Privacy Policy can be found at https://pixelpals.app/privacy

About

Petopia

Bring adorable pixel art animals to your iPhone's Dynamic Island, Home Screen, and Lock Screen. These companions change expressions with the time of day and react to your interactions, offering a cozy, ad-free experience with optional one-time purchases for premium pets and outfits.

Highlights
  • Dynamic Island pet integration
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Time-based pet expressions
  • Interactive pet reactions
  • Seasonal costumes for pets
  • Daily rewards and fortunes
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

A little pixel friend, by your side every day. It's on your Lock Screen and in your Home Screen widgets too: sleepy in the morning, playful at noon, snoozing at night. Pick your favorite of 42 friends, dress them up, and spend a quiet moment together every day. No ads. No subscriptions. DYNAMIC ISLAND - Your pet lives at the top of your screen, with a face for morning, day and night - Long-press to open their card, read what they have to say, and give them a pat - No Dynamic Island? Your pet can still keep you company on the Lock Screen LOCK SCREEN & WIDGETS - Home Screen widgets in 3 sizes and 9 styles: dollhouse, clock, calendar, photo, a daily line and more - Lock Screen widgets, too - Save up to 10 widget looks A PIXEL DOLLHOUSE - Your pets wander, blink and nap in a cozy pixel room - Give them a pat and each one reacts in its own way - The room turns to night when you do 42 FRIENDS - Start with 6: dog, cat, bunny, hamster, otter and lovebird - Shiba, corgi, chihuahua, black cat, calico, penguin, java sparrow, capybara, axolotl, sea otter, panda and more - Welcome new friends with candy you get every day DRESS UP - Ribbons and seasonal outfits - What they wear shows in the Dynamic Island and in widgets - Try outfits on before you choose LITTLE DAILY JOYS - A letter from your pet - A daily fortune - Treats that make you closer friends - A stamp card with bonuses - Photo mode for a keepsake shot together SEASONAL EVENTS - Limited outfits for Halloween and other seasons MADE TO FEEL SAFE - No ads, no subscriptions - Sign in with Apple to keep your pets when you change phones - Available in 34 languages A little pixel friend, quietly by your side every day.

Screenshots

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game4 screens
Petopia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Petopia at 5.0 against Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game's 4.6. Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game's advantage is ratings volume (37K vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.59 per month and Petopia sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Petopia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game has 37K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game ships an update every 2 days, Petopia weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game versus Petopia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Pals Widget Pet GamePetopia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (37K ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings37K — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#121 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.318.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian SeligShogo Shibuya

Customer experience

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

All ratings36,266 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews768 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative38.4%

Petopia

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Resets progress and pets when phone restarts
  • Transparent background not working
  • Subscription issues and locked features
  • Pets disappearing from Dynamic Island

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free pet options
  • Ability to interact with pets outside of app
  • Syncing between Apollo and Pixel Pals
  • Customizable pet animations and behaviors

Petopia

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game

Subscriptions4
  • Pixel Pals Premium Monthly BF$1.591 Month
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Monthly)3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Pixel Pals Premium Yearly BF$11.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Yearly)3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time4
  • Food Pack Small$0.99
  • Food Pack Large$4.99
  • Premium Lifetime Black Friday$48.49
Show 1 more
  • Pixel Pals Premium (Lifetime)$49.99
6 purchases

Petopia

One-time6
  • 100 Candies$0.99
  • Welcome Pack$2.99
  • 350 Candies$2.99
Show 3 more
  • 800 Candies$5.99
  • 2500 Candies$14.99
  • 6000 Candies$29.99

Questions

Is Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game free?
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Petopia free?
Petopia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game or Petopia?
Petopia is rated higher. Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game averages 4.6 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while Petopia averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game or Petopia have ads?
Neither Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game nor Petopia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game or Petopia?
Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game ships an update every 2 days, and Petopia weekly. Most recently, Pixel Pals Widget Pet Game was updated on October 31, 2026 and Petopia on October 31, 2026.

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