Comparison

POOLS™ vs Preserve

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

Preserve

A peaceful puzzle game where you build vibrant ecosystems by strategically placing flora and fauna cards. Explore multiple game modes, unlock natural wonders, and enjoy a serene soundtrack and charming visuals in this offline digital escape.

Highlights
  • Build living biomes
  • Match flora and fauna synergies
  • Multiple gameplay modes
  • Unlock natural wonders
  • Soothing visuals
  • Relaxing soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Preserve: Complete Edition features all content released to date. No ads, no in-app purchases. Restore the wild. One tile at a time. Preserve is a peaceful puzzle game that lets you build entire ecosystems through clever placement of flora and fauna cards. Whether you're growing a forest, cultivating a wetland, or balancing food chains in a meadow, your decisions shape how each biome evolves. Enjoy multiple game modes tailored to your mood—complete challenges in Puzzle mode, build freely in Creative, or find balance in classic mode. With its serene soundtrack, charming visuals, and relaxing yet rewarding gameplay loop, Preserve is a unique digital escape for the minds. - Grow living biomes by matching flora and fauna synergies - Multiple gameplay modes: Puzzle, Classic and Creative - Unlock natural wonders and discover secret patterns - Soothing visuals and relaxing soundtrack - Fully offline, no ads. Relax. Reconnect. Rewild the world.

Screenshots

POOLS™4 screens
Preserve4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: POOLS™ at 80% against Preserve's 10%. POOLS™ also leads on price (Free vs $7.99) and rating (4.5 vs 3.8). Preserve's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On 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

POOLS™ is free to download; Preserve costs $7.99 up front. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Preserve asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

POOLS™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POOLS™ has 1.7K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of POOLS™'s written reviews are positive against 10% of Preserve's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

POOLS™ ships an update monthly, Preserve every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
POOLS™ versus Preserve: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPOOLS™Preserve
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.5 (1.7K ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews79.5% of reviews — better9.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.7K — better4
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#39 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB714 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTensoriPlug In Digital

Customer experience

POOLS™

All ratings1,738 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews630 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative14.1%

Preserve

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive9.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative87.8%

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)

Preserve

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99
None

Preserve

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Preserve free?
Preserve costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, POOLS™ or Preserve?
POOLS™ is rated higher. POOLS™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Preserve averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do POOLS™ or Preserve have ads?
Neither POOLS™ nor Preserve shows ads.
Which is updated more often, POOLS™ or Preserve?
POOLS™ ships an update monthly, and Preserve every 5 days. Most recently, POOLS™ was updated on October 23, 2026 and Preserve on October 22, 2026.

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