Pixel Pets vs Petopia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixel Pets
Adopt and care for adorable pixelated pets that live on your phone's screen, including your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Feed, play, and interact with your virtual companions to keep them happy and see their emotions change throughout the day.
- Adopt and care for virtual pixel pets
- Pets displayed on Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and Live Notifications
- Interactive feeding and exercise mechanics
- Pets change emotions and expressions
- Transparent home screen widgets
- Unlockable exclusive pets and features
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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/
Petopia
Bring a charming pixelated companion to your device's Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets. Interact with your chosen pet, dress it up, and enjoy daily surprises and seasonal events. This app offers a peaceful, ad-free experience with a variety of adorable creatures to collect.
- Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets
- Dynamic Island integration
- 42 collectible pixel pets
- Extensive dress-up options
- Daily joys and seasonal events
- Pixel dollhouse customization
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Pixel Pets at 5.1K against Petopia's 11. Pixel Pets also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Petopia's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). 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
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.
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 11, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pixel Pets ships an update every 3 weeks, Petopia every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.
| Parameter | Pixel Pets | Petopia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (5.1K ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5.1K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 150 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Twinstar Creatives | Shogo Shibuya |
Customer experience
Pixel Pets
Petopia
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
Pixel Pets
- Pixel Pets+ (Discount Monthly)$5.991 Month
- Premium$9.991 Month
- Pixel Pets+ (Discount Monthly)$29.996 Months
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- Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- 150 Coins$0.99
- 300 Coins$3.99
- 450 Coins$5.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- 650 Coins$7.99
- Premium$9.99
Petopia
- 100 Candies$0.99
- Welcome Pack$2.99
- 350 Candies$2.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 800 Candies$5.99
- 2500 Candies$14.99
- 6000 Candies$29.99









