Comparison

PolyPine vs TownsFolk

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

Head to head
About

PolyPine

Cultivate a vibrant forest ecosystem by planting seeds and nurturing trees through their life cycles. Attract diverse wildlife by meeting their specific habitat needs and observe how their interactions influence the environment. Adapt to or reshape varied terrains and overcome natural disasters to foster a thriving, dynamic woodland.

Highlights
  • Plant and grow trees through full life cycles
  • Attract and manage diverse animal habitats
  • Observe animal interactions and their impact
  • Adapt to or terraform varied terrains
  • Survive and utilize natural disasters
Features
Read full description

Create your own cozy forest! Plant Seeds and Watch Them Grow Experience the full lifecycle of trees: seed, sapling, adult tree, dead tree and fallen trunk. Each step creates a different habitat for other plants and animals. Fill Your Forest with Animals Each animal has specific habitat needs you have to fullfill before adding them. Squirrels need trees, butterflies need flowers etc. Click Animals to Make Them Poop and More Clicking on animals trigger different behaviors that influence the forest ecosystem: Moose poop, fertilizing the soil. Voles eat tree roots, damaging the tree. Foxes hunt other animals. Adapt to the Terrain or Terraform It to Your Needs Create forests in diverse terrains including hills, lakes, mountains, fjords and wetlands. Terraform the terrain if you want even more control. Survive Natural Disasters Forest fires, storms and bark beetle swarms affect the forest in various ways. Can you use them to your advantage and create a thriving ecosystem?

About

TownsFolk

Lead settlers to build and expand a thriving colony in a mysterious and dangerous world. Manage resources, make critical decisions, and overcome challenges to ensure your settlement's survival. Explore the unknown, face disasters, and appease a demanding king.

Highlights
  • Build and expand settlements
  • Explore unknown territories
  • Survive challenges and disasters
  • Roguelite strategy gameplay
  • Skirmish and puzzle modes
  • Handcrafted pixel art visuals
  • Weekly challenge mode
Features
Read full description

TownsFolk – Build. Survive. Explore. Lead a group of settlers into the unknown and build a thriving colony in a world full of mystery and danger. Manage scarce resources, make tough choices, and face the unpredictable frontier. Will your town prosper or fall? Lead, Expand, Survive: • Build & Expand – Grow your village by managing Food, Gold, Faith, and Production. • Explore the Unknown – Clear the fog, discover treasures, and uncover dangers. • Survive Challenges – Overcome disasters, wild animals, and moral dilemmas. • Appease the King – Deliver tribute, or risk your colony’s fate. Game Features: ▪ Roguelite Strategy – New challenges every playthrough. ▪ Skirmish Mode – Test survival skills in standalone scenarios. ▪ Puzzle Challenges – Solve strategic puzzles for rewards. ▪ Pixel Art World – Handcrafted visuals & atmospheric music. ▪ Deep, Minimalist Gameplay – Easy to start, challenging to master. ▪ Weekly Challenge Mode – A new scenario every week with leaderboards. ▪ Factions – 5 unique Factions, each with their own strengths, stories, and playstyles. Can you build a settlement that withstands the test of time? Download TownsFolk today! Play for Free – Upgrade Anytime TownsFolk lets you jump in for free! Enjoy the How to Play missions, test your skills in Puzzle Missions, and try out Skirmish Mode with a fixed setup. Want more? A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full Campaign and lets you customize settings in Skirmish Mode for endless replayability.

Screenshots

PolyPine4 screens
TownsFolk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TownsFolk at 4.7 against PolyPine's 4.5. TownsFolk also leads on ratings volume (3.3K vs 267) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. PolyPine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TownsFolk sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TownsFolk holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TownsFolk has 3.3K ratings behind it against 267, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of PolyPine's written reviews are positive against 73% of TownsFolk's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PolyPine ships an update fortnightly, TownsFolk every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PolyPine versus TownsFolk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolyPineTownsFolk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (267 ratings)4.7 (3.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.6% of reviews — better72.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2673.3K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB256 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYaozuo Games LtdShort Circuit Studio

Customer experience

PolyPine

All ratings267 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive77.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative12.0%

TownsFolk

All ratings3,259 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews650 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative18.5%

User reviews

PolyPine

From 267 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 High-quality graphics
  • 👍 Clean and smooth user experience
  • 👍 Interesting and engaging gameplay
  • 🌱 Educational content about plants and animals
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and peaceful game experience

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paywall for full game access
  • 🐛 Audio issues and glitches

TownsFolk

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun game
  • 👍 Solid tutorial
  • 👍 Portrait mode
  • 👍 Great city sim game
  • 👍 Interesting mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and freezes
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 💰 Requires payment after tutorial
  • 🔍 Needs better balancing
  • 🔍 Needs deeper gameplay

Bugs and requests

PolyPine

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Audio breaks down and turns into 8-bit track

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add more content and updates
  • Improve the evolution/upgrade system

TownsFolk

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tutorial freezes the game
  • Can't build anything and days don't progress
  • Save data reverts or gets corrupted

Requested features

2 requests
  • Creative/easy mode to keep progress
  • Leaderboards and daily challenges

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PolyPine

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$5.99
2 purchases

TownsFolk

One-time2
  • Shadow of Empires bundle$2.99
  • TownsFolk: A new world$8.99

Questions

Is PolyPine free?
PolyPine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TownsFolk free?
TownsFolk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PolyPine or TownsFolk?
TownsFolk is rated higher. PolyPine averages 4.5 out of 5 from 267 ratings, while TownsFolk averages 4.7 from 3.3K ratings.
Do PolyPine or TownsFolk have ads?
Neither PolyPine nor TownsFolk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PolyPine or TownsFolk?
PolyPine ships an update fortnightly, and TownsFolk every 2 weeks. Most recently, PolyPine was updated on October 13, 2026 and TownsFolk on October 13, 2026.

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