# The Bear vs Howl

The clearest difference is rating: The Bear at 4.6 against Howl's 4.2. The Bear also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 65). Howl's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Bear sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Howl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

The Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Bear has 1.1K ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 78% and 78% positive.

The Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, Howl every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Bear | Howl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bear/id6449494088/reviews)** | [4.2 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howl/id6472719961/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 65 |
| Positive reviews | 78.1% of reviews | 78.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 477 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mucks Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689395285) | [astragon Entertainment GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/433152241) |

## What reviewers say

### The Bear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bear/id6449494088)

Embark on a friendship adventure with a bear and a little one across a magical universe. This interactive bedtime experience features hand-drawn animations and original music, offering a calming story about togetherness and belonging.

**Highlights:** Interactive bedtime experience, Friendship-forming adventure, Hand-drawn animations, Specially composed music, Touching story, Calming experience

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy us a cookie! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all chapters | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy us a coffee! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy us lunch! | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😊 Liked the stars and music
- 👍 Cute, calming, and relaxing
- 🎨 Beautiful art style and animations
- 💡 Meaningful story and themes
- 🤗 Touching and emotional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Need to pay for additional chapters
- 🐛 Progress not saved properly

**Reported bugs**

- Game resets when leaving the screen
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- Make the full game free
- Add a demo or trial version


### Howl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howl/id6472719961)

Engage in turn-based tactical combat within a dark fairy-tale world threatened by a mysterious plague. Play as a deaf heroine who can foresee enemy moves, utilizing unique arrows and skills to defeat beasts. Explore beautifully illustrated environments and uncover secrets.

**Highlights:** Turn-based tactical combat, Foretell enemy moves, Variety of arrow types, Unlockable skills and upgrades, Living ink art style, Multiple chapters and levels, Save villagers

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Full Version | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful art style and visual design
- 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
- 🧩 Engaging turn-based strategy gameplay
- 🎯 Creative puzzle mechanics with multiple solutions
- 📖 Compelling story and atmosphere

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 UI elements covering action cards on left screen edge
- 📱 Text too small on mobile devices
- 🌍 Limited language localization options
- ⏱️ Game length feels short for the price
- 💾 Save progress issues and data loss

**Reported bugs**

- Arrow card hidden by sidebar UI on left screen edge
- Text bubbles blocking enemy action information
- Save data not persisting after app closure
- UI elements too small to read on iPhone
- Tooltip descriptions not displaying correctly

**Requested features**

- Movable text bubbles to prevent obstruction
- Character gender/pronoun customization
- More levels and expanded content
- Language localization (Vietnamese, German, etc.)
- UI scaling for smaller phones


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Bear free?

The Bear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Howl free?

Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Bear or Howl?

The Bear is rated higher. The Bear averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Howl averages 4.2 from 65 ratings.

### Do The Bear or Howl have ads?

Neither The Bear nor Howl shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Bear or Howl?

The Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and Howl every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Bear was updated on October 24, 2026 and Howl on October 23, 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.*