Comparison

Pixel Pets 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 Pets

Bring adorable animated pets to your iPhone's Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and home screen widgets. Care for your virtual companions by feeding and playing with them, and watch their emotions change throughout the day. Unlock a variety of cute animals to keep you company.

Highlights
  • Animated pets on Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and widgets
  • Interactive pet care: feeding and exercise
  • Pets display changing emotions
  • Transparent home screen widgets
  • Variety of eight unlockable pets
  • Daily interaction and care
Features
Read full description

Ever wanted to have your own special pet that animates on you phone? Meet Pixel Pets! You’ll be able take care of your own animal pet by feeding and interacting with your new best friend. You can find your pet displayed on your Lock Screen, Dynamic Island and even Live Notifications. 

There really is no better way to have more fun on your iPhone than this new cool app. 
There are now eight adorable pets that are live inside the app. They can't wait for you to add them to your widgets and start playing with them!
 Keep an eye out on your pet and see it change emotions and expressions throughout the day. You’ll need to feed your pet and also take them to exercise daily. Good friends look out for each other. Your pet will send you kisses when they’re happy!

 We also support transparent widgets. You can see them floating on your home screen. Some of our first Pixel Pets include:

 —“Dog” = Spot is your loving companion! He loves adventuring through the wilderness and following you. —“Cat” = Willow is your forever companion. She will follow you everywhere you go! Her favorite thing to do is sleep. But when you are near, she couldn't be more lively!
 —“Turtle” = Tyler-the-turtle is the wisest of them all. He is a young, smart turtle who can't wait to get to know you!
 —“Pig” = Jellybean is your partner. He will always be there for you, he loves exploring, adventuring, and of course... food!
 —“Frog” = Hopscotch is the fastest frog in the entire world. Catch him leaping all over as he follows you around!
 —“Duck” = Waddles is the cutest duck ever. She loves cuddling and following you around. Her soft feathers are super comfy! —“Wolf” = Fierce has the strongest will out of every companion. She is a strong mother wolf who won't let anyone hurt the ones she cares for.
 —“Bear” = Polly is scary at first, but once you get to know her, you realize she is the grizzliest teddy bear!



 Pay-once and unlock all pets and features. - Get access to exclusive pets and pet food + games by upgrading to our one-time lifetime upgrade fee of $9.99USD. Seriously, this is a great offer. What are you waiting for?! Subscription options: - You can subscribe to unlimited access for pro features including exclusive pets and pet food + games exclusive icons. 
Pixel Pets+ offers unlimited usage and unlocks all features for $4.99* monthly, with a yearly subscription option too.
 Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that content. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. 

 *This price is for United States customers. Pricing may differ depending on your country and actual charges may be converted to your local currency of residence. The prices are equal to “Apple’s App Store Matrix” which determines the equivalent subscription price in USD. instagram.com/PixelPetsApp
 tiktok.com/@pixelpetsapp info.pixelpets@gmail.com Terms: https://twinstarcreatives.com/terms-and-conditions/
 Privacy: https://twinstarcreatives.com/privacy-policy/

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 Pets4 screens
Petopia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Pixel Pets at 5.1K against Petopia's 8. Pixel Pets also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Petopia's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, 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. Pixel Pets sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Pets has 5.1K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Pets ships an update every 3 weeks, Petopia every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pixel Pets versus Petopia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel PetsPetopia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.1K ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.1K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwinstar CreativesShogo Shibuya

Customer experience

Pixel Pets

All ratings5,019 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews253 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral12.6%
Negative30.0%

Petopia

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pixel Pets

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Widgets not working as expected
  • Pets not showing up on dynamic island
  • Purchases not registering properly
  • Frequent crashes and app instability

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free pet and background options
  • Ability to customize or remove daily quotes
  • Improved widget functionality and customization
  • Tamagotchi-style mini-games and interactions

Petopia

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Pixel Pets

Subscriptions4
  • Pixel Pets+ (Discount Monthly)$5.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
  • Pixel Pets+ (Discount Monthly)$29.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time5
  • 150 Coins$0.99
  • 300 Coins$3.99
  • 450 Coins$5.99
Show 2 more
  • 650 Coins$7.99
  • Premium$9.99
6 purchases

Petopia

One-time6
  • 100 Candies$0.99
  • Starter 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 Pets free?
Pixel Pets 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 Pets or Petopia?
Petopia is rated higher. Pixel Pets averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Petopia averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Pixel Pets or Petopia have ads?
Neither Pixel Pets nor Petopia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Pets or Petopia?
Pixel Pets ships an update every 3 weeks, and Petopia every 10 days. Most recently, Pixel Pets was updated on October 23, 2026 and Petopia on October 7, 2026.

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