Comparison

Friends vs 5minutes App

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

Head to head
About

Friends

This app offers virtual AI companions that evolve with your interactions. You can raise them alone or with friends, using them for focus, self-care, or shared experiences. Personalize your companions and their worlds, and stay connected with home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • AI companions that learn and evolve
  • Raise companions alone or with friends
  • Focus and study companion (Mellow)
  • Self-care and habit companion (Bao)
  • Shared companion for two (Pengu)
  • Companion and world customization
  • Home screen widgets for interaction
Features
Read full description

Friends is a social AI companion app with cute virtual pets you grow over time – alone or together with real-life friends. Raise AI companions, share moments, and build routines for focus, self-care, and connection. Friends turns everyday life into something more personal, social, and fun. Your AI companions learn from you, adapt to your routine, and evolve based on your interactions over time. Social AI Companions That Evolve With You Friends is social by design. Raise companions on your own or together with someone you care about — share progress, moments, and playful interactions along the way. Every action shapes their personality, unlocks new behaviors, and creates small surprises over time. Choose Your AI Companion Each companion supports a different part of your day: Pengu – A Shared AI Companion for Two People Pengu is a shared AI companion you raise together with a partner or close friend. Two people shape Pengu’s personality through conversations, choices, and shared interactions over time. Designed for couples, close friends, and siblings who want to build something together. Mellow – AI Study Buddy & Focus Companion Mellow is your calm AI study and focus companion. Mellow helps you stay on track with studying, homework, and daily tasks – adding gentle structure, reminders, and encouragement without pressure. Bao – AI Self-Care & Habit Companion Bao is your self-care AI companion for healthy habits and well-being. The more consistent you are, the more Bao develops – designed to make self-care feel motivating, rewarding, and easier to stick with. Raise Companions Together Raise companions with friends, send reactions and gifts, celebrate milestones, and enjoy a shared digital space that grows with your relationships. Often compared to a new generation of Tamagotchi-style experiences, Friends goes further by combining AI characters, real utility, and shared experiences with people you care about. Customize and Create - Personalize your companions and their world: - Outfits and accessories - Wallpapers and themed rooms - Visual upgrades that reflect personality and progress Friends Widgets Stay connected from your home screen. Check in on Pengu, Bao, or Mellow, interact with them, and see what they are up to with a quick glance. Built on AI That Learns Over Time Friends is powered by AI designed to make companions feel more personal the longer you use them. Your companions learn from how you interact, adapt to your habits, and respond differently over time — remembering past moments and reacting to progress. Your AI Friends, Your Way Download Friends and see how Pengu, Mellow, and Bao grow with you over time. Social AI companions designed to support you, connect you, and make everyday life more fun. Subscription Information - Friends is free to download and use, and that will never change for our main features. If you want more from the experience, you can subscribe to our optional product Friends Plus. - We currently offer Pengu Pass. Prices may vary by country and are subject to change without notice. Prices are clearly displayed in the app. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. - Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Account Settings in the App Store. - If offered, and you choose a free trial, any unused portion of the trial will be forfeited upon subscription. - If you choose not to subscribe, you can continue using Friends for free. Privacy & Terms Your personal data is securely stored on Friends. Please review our policies: Privacy Policy: https://web.penguapp.co/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://web.penguapp.co/terms

About

5minutes App

Features
Read full description

5minutes is a mentor-mentee learning platform where mentors share content that is consumable in no more than 5minutes. 5minutes is a robust state-of-the-art Ed-Tech solution for learning and continuous learning for training organizations. Corporate institutions use 5minutes as their preferred platform to upskill their workforce on the go.

Screenshots

Friends4 screens
5minutes App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 5minutes App at none against Friends's 10. 5minutes App also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Friends's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and update cadence 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. Friends sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 5minutes App asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Friends ships an update every 9 days, 5minutes App weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Friends versus 5minutes App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFriends5minutes App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (238K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings238K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size590 MB33 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperSLAY GmbHGreysoft Technologies Limited

Bugs and requests

Friends

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Disappearing items and progress
  • Ads not providing promised rewards
  • Leveling up and progression issues
  • Laggy performance and crashes
  • Syncing problems between co-parents

Requested features

5 requests
  • More mini-games and activities
  • Ability to have multiple penguins
  • Customization options for penguin and environment
  • Sleep mode or reduced notifications
  • Better rewards and coin earning system

5minutes App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Friends

Subscriptions3
  • Pengu Pass$4.997 Days
  • Pengu Pass Individual Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pengu Pass Individual Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
One-time7
  • Offer 1$1.99
  • Special Offer$2.99
  • Offer 2$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Offer 4$4.99
  • Offer 6$6.99
  • Offer 8$8.99
  • Offer 9$9.99
None

5minutes App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Friends free?
Friends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 5minutes App free?
5minutes App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Friends or 5minutes App have ads?
5minutes App shows ads; Friends does not.
Which is updated more often, Friends or 5minutes App?
Friends ships an update every 9 days, and 5minutes App weekly. Most recently, Friends was updated on November 10, 2026 and 5minutes App on November 4, 2026.

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