Comparison

CEOSimulation vs Shoulda Bought

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

Head to head
About

CEOSimulation

Lead a simulated education technology company, making strategic decisions across various departments. Learn from AI advisors and track performance with detailed analytics in a risk-free environment.

Highlights
  • Strategic leadership challenges
  • AI-powered department advisors
  • Comprehensive performance analytics
  • Dynamic scenario generation
  • Cross-platform compatibility
  • Consequence-based learning
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CEO Business Simulation - Transform Your Leadership Skills Take command of your own education technology company in this immersive business simulation designed for aspiring leaders and seasoned executives. Navigate real-world challenges, make strategic decisions, and learn from AI-powered department advisors in a risk-free environment. Master Strategic Leadership Face authentic business scenarios across budget crises, technical challenges, marketing campaigns, HR issues, and growth opportunities. Each decision impacts your company's budget, reputation, team morale, and overall performance - just like in the real world. AI-Powered Department Advisors Work alongside five unique AI department heads, each with distinct personalities and expertise: Engineering: Technical strategy and infrastructure decisions Sales: Revenue growth and customer acquisition Marketing: Brand building and campaign management HR: Team development and employee satisfaction Finance: Budget allocation and financial planning Comprehensive Performance Analytics Track your leadership effectiveness with detailed metrics: Real-time dashboards monitoring budget, reputation, and team morale Quarterly reports analyzing your decision patterns Performance trends across multiple business quarters Leadership style assessment and improvement recommendations Educational Excellence Perfect for business students, MBA programs, executive training, and professional development: Learn strategic thinking and long-term planning Practice resource management and prioritization Develop crisis management and problem-solving skills Understand departmental dynamics and team leadership Experience consequence-based learning in a safe environment Key Features Dynamic scenario generation based on company performance Cross-platform compatibility (iPad and Mac) Intuitive SwiftUI interface optimized for touch and desktop Comprehensive scoring system tracking multiple success metrics Realistic business challenges from actual corporate scenarios Who Benefits Business Students: Apply classroom theory to practical scenarios MBA Candidates: Enhance strategic decision-making skills New Managers: Practice leadership without real-world consequences Executives: Refine crisis management and strategic thinking Educators: Engage students with interactive business learning Experience the challenge of executive leadership. Make strategic decisions, learn from mistakes, and develop the skills needed for real-world business success. Start your CEO journey today.

About

Shoulda Bought

Features
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You wake up on January 1, 1999. Same head. Same memories. And twenty-seven years of stock market history about to happen all over again. Shoulda Bought is a life-simulation tycoon game built on real market data. Every price you see is an actual monthly close โ€” 485 real tickers, 1999 through 2026. Apple really did trade at thirty cents. Amazon really did fall ninety percent. You already know that. Now do something about it. REAL PRICES, REAL HISTORY - 485 real companies at their actual monthly prices, from the dot-com peak through 2008, COVID and the AI run - The in-game newspaper prints the headlines from the month they happened - No invented charts. If you remember it, it is in here. 331 TURNS. ONE LIFE. Every turn is one month and you get 331 of them. Work a job, buy a house, start a business, max the 401(k) โ€” or put everything into one ticker and find out. Rent comes due either way, and the tax bill arrives whether you planned for it or not. HOLD TO BUY. LET GO TO SELL. The day-trading round runs on real daily bars. Press and hold to go long and watch the line draw itself from your entry to right now. Release to close. A second finger doubles the position with borrowed money โ€” and doubles what you can lose. Get liquidated and the round is over. MONEY IS NOT THE ONLY SCORE Meet people. Keep them. See up to five at once and find out exactly what that costs you in time, cash and nerve. Gifts, dates, jealousy, and endings that depend on who you actually chose. YOU DID NOT ALL START IN THE SAME PLACE Pick your origin: the projects, the suburbs, or the trust fund. Your final score is net worth weighted by where you came from โ€” turning four hundred dollars into millions beats turning four million into slightly more. THE RICH LIST Your score is not only the money. Net worth times your origin multiplier, plus what you made of yourself โ€” skills, health, credit, the things you actually finished. One life, one number, and a ranking that tells you whether you beat the life you were handed. Free to play. There are no in-app purchases, no deposits and no prizes โ€” every dollar in the game is fictional. Nothing here is financial advice. It is a game about hindsight, which is the one edge nobody can actually use.

Screenshots

CEOSimulation4 screens
Shoulda Bought4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: CEOSimulation at none against Shoulda Bought's shown. Shoulda Bought's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CEOSimulation ships an update every 3 weeks, Shoulda Bought every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
CEOSimulation versus Shoulda Bought: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCEOSimulationShoulda Bought
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB8 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDonald ClarkSEIZEMODE

In-app purchases

None

CEOSimulation

No in-app purchases

None

Shoulda Bought

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CEOSimulation free?
CEOSimulation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shoulda Bought free?
Shoulda Bought is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CEOSimulation or Shoulda Bought have ads?
Shoulda Bought shows ads; CEOSimulation does not.
Which is updated more often, CEOSimulation or Shoulda Bought?
CEOSimulation ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shoulda Bought every 6 days. Most recently, CEOSimulation was updated on October 30, 2026 and Shoulda Bought on October 31, 2026.

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