# Pixel Shelter vs Exploding Piggies

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Exploding Piggies at none against Pixel Shelter's 12. Exploding Piggies also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Pixel Shelter's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Shelter sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Exploding Piggies asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pixel Shelter ships an update every 2 months, Exploding Piggies fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Shelter | Exploding Piggies |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-shelter-zombie-survival/id6748067769/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **97** | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 136 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [NimbleBit LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285808572) | [Saurabh Goyal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895466481) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Shelter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-shelter-zombie-survival/id6748067769)

Build and manage an underground shelter to survive a zombie apocalypse. Recruit survivors, assign jobs, and manage resources like energy, water, and food. Defend your haven and make strategic choices to ensure humanity's survival in a detailed pixel-art world.

**Highlights:** Underground shelter construction, Resource management (energy, water, food), Survivor recruitment and job assignment, Shelter defense, Pixel-art aesthetic, Survivor interaction and messages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expansion Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Broadcast Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| VIP Pack 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Welcome pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Bux Pack 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Expansion Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| BUX Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| VIP Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Expansion Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| BUX Pack 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Broadcast Pack 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| VIP Pack 3 | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 NO ADS
- 👍 Authentic feel similar to Tiny Tower
- 👍 Variety of cool room names and citizen outfits
- 👍 Changeable themes
- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Couple of graphical bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Graphical bugs

**Requested features**

- Keep equipment after rebuild


### Exploding Piggies

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exploding-piggies/id6763737539)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Shelter free?

Pixel Shelter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Exploding Piggies free?

Exploding Piggies is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pixel Shelter or Exploding Piggies have ads?

Pixel Shelter shows ads; Exploding Piggies does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Shelter or Exploding Piggies?

Pixel Shelter ships an update every 2 months, and Exploding Piggies fortnightly. Most recently, Pixel Shelter was updated on October 22, 2026 and Exploding Piggies on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*