GoCAKs vs Pixel Evolution Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GoCAKs
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"GoCAKs" is a game where you create programs and battle. In "GoCAKs," you create cellular automaton programs. Cellular automata are like programmed life forms living in a 2D grid world. Following the programs you give them, they move around, fight, help each other, and self-replicate. Programming cellular automata requires no difficult prerequisite knowledge. Simply arranging simple commands allows you to achieve advanced behaviors. Furthermore, cellular automaton programming is simple yet deeply profound. With only a carefully selected small set of commands and a simple execution model, it is designed to achieve complex behaviors—like multicellular organisms where individual cells cooperate. "GoCAKs" has two game modes. The first is a puzzle-like Time Attack mode where you clear stages within limited time and moves. In Time Attack mode, as you work to clear stages, you naturally learn fundamental programming concepts such as loops, branches, and variables. The second is a Creative mode where you freely create cellular automata and 2D grid worlds. In Creative mode, you can pit the cellular automata you've created against each other in a survival competition. You can also have your cellular automata interact and experiment to see what kinds of emergent phenomena arise. Express your creativity to the world.
Pixel Evolution Lab
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Watch life emerge from a few simple rules. Pixel Evolution Lab is a beautiful, fast simulator for cellular automata – the mathematical worlds made famous by Conway's Game of Life. Each cell only looks at its eight neighbors. Yet out of random noise, gliders take flight, oscillators pulse and whole cities of still lifes appear. No plan, no script – order simply emerges. Version 2.0 is a complete redesign: the simulation fills the entire screen, the controls float above it, and every change you make in the lab is visible instantly. EXPLORE • Full-screen simulation powered by Metal – smooth even with hundreds of thousands of cells • Pinch to zoom, drag to explore, double-tap to see the whole world • Play, pause, single step and speeds from 1 to 60 generations per second, plus Turbo • Afterglow: dying cells fade out slowly and reveal motion and history • Evolution tracker with population, density, births and deaths DISCOVER • Pattern library with explanations: glider, spaceships, pulsar, pentadecathlon, the Gosper glider gun and famous methuselahs like the R-pentomino, Acorn and Diehard • 18 universes with different laws of nature – from Conway's Life and HighLife to Day & Night, Maze, Coral, Amoeba and Replicator • 9 color worlds, from phosphor green to amber, ice, magma and paper CREATE (PRO) • Draw and erase cells right in the field – with your finger or Apple Pencil, with undo • Build your own rules in B/S notation • Mix your own colors • Save your creations in your own gallery RELAX • Ambient mode hides all controls, keeps the screen on and starts a new world whenever the current one settles – a digital campfire for your desk • Share beautiful pictures of your worlds • The app remembers where you left off FREE AND FAIR The free version includes the full simulation with zoom, single step and Turbo, three universes, three color worlds, afterglow and four classic patterns. Pro unlocks everything else with a single one-time purchase – no subscription. No ads. No tracking. No account. Your worlds stay on your device. Download Pixel Evolution Lab and start your first universe.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GoCAKs at none against Pixel Evolution Lab's 1. GoCAKs also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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 Evolution Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GoCAKs asks for nothing beyond the download.
GoCAKs ships an update weekly, Pixel Evolution Lab every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GoCAKs | Pixel Evolution Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hiroki Saito | Stefan Hergert |
In-app purchases
GoCAKs
No in-app purchases
Pixel Evolution Lab
- Pixel Evolution Pro Upgrade$1.99
Questions
Is GoCAKs free?
Is Pixel Evolution Lab free?
Do GoCAKs or Pixel Evolution Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, GoCAKs or Pixel Evolution Lab?
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