Comparison

POOLS™ vs My Pet Defender

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

Head to head
About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

About

My Pet Defender

Features
Read full description

Earth is under attack. Fortunately, your pet is ready. My Pet Defender is a premium arcade game where your real cat or dog becomes the hero of an interplanetary adventure. Add your pet, create your defender, and protect the planet from waves of alien invaders using the most powerful weapon in the galaxy: laser eyes. YOUR PET. THE HERO. Bring your real pet into the game and turn them into Earth’s newest defender. Create a unique hero from your cat or dog and watch them take center stage in a colorful universe full of UFOs, alien motherships, power-ups, and endless arcade action. CREATE YOUR OWN DEFENDER Every pet is unique. Add your pet, customize their appearance, and build a growing gallery of defenders. Whether your pet becomes a cosmic guardian, a fearless warrior, or simply the cutest hero in the galaxy is entirely up to you. FAST ARCADE GAMEPLAY • Blast UFOs and alien fleets • Survive increasingly challenging waves • Defeat giant mothership bosses • Build combos and chase high scores • Unlock new styles and defenders • Enjoy quick sessions perfect for any moment Easy to learn. Hard to put down. MADE FOR PET LOVERS My Pet Defender is built around the special bond between people and their pets. The game combines light-hearted humor, colorful visuals, and satisfying arcade action into an experience designed to make you smile every time your pet saves the world. DEFENDER CLUB Optional account features allow you to: • Save your defenders • Sync pets across devices • Restore progress • Access family features FAMILY FRIENDLY My Pet Defender is designed for players of all ages. Parents can manage child accounts through family features and supervise gameplay experiences appropriate for younger players. FEATURES • Use your real pet as the hero • Fast arcade gameplay • UFO battles and boss fights • Unique pet styles and costumes • High-score competition • Family-friendly experience • Optional cloud synchronization • Beautiful premium presentation The aliens chose the wrong planet. My Planet. My Pet. My Laser. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

POOLS™4 screens
My Pet Defender4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: My Pet Defender at weekly against POOLS™'s every 4 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and My Pet Defender sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

POOLS™ ships an update every 4 weeks, My Pet Defender weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
POOLS™ versus My Pet Defender: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPOOLS™My Pet Defender
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB70 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTensoriIntegral Dot sp. z o.o.

Bugs and requests

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

My Pet Defender

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99
5 purchases

My Pet Defender

Subscriptions2
  • Defender Club Yearly$5.991 Year
  • Defender Club Family Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time3
  • 3 PetCoins$2.99
  • 6 PetCoins$5.99
  • 15 PetCoins$12.99

Questions

Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is My Pet Defender free?
My Pet Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do POOLS™ or My Pet Defender have ads?
Neither POOLS™ nor My Pet Defender shows ads.
Which is updated more often, POOLS™ or My Pet Defender?
POOLS™ ships an update every 4 weeks, and My Pet Defender weekly. Most recently, POOLS™ was updated on November 6, 2026 and My Pet Defender on November 5, 2026.

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