Comparison

Ambient Lab vs Stepple

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

Head to head
About

Ambient Lab

Create personalized sound and visual environments for focus, relaxation, or sleep. Mix and match various audio tracks and video scenes to craft your ideal atmosphere. Includes productivity tools like timers and widgets.

Highlights
  • Mix & Match video and audio
  • Multi-audio mixing
  • Premium audio library
  • Productivity widgets
  • Background audio playback
  • Timer function
Features
Read full description

Transform your space into the perfect work or relaxation environment with immersive ambient video and audio. Combine beautiful video scenes with high-quality soundscapes to create your ideal atmosphere. Whether you need focus for work, calm for sleep, or comfort for relaxation, craft the perfect ambient experience. KEY FEATURES: - Mix & Match: Pair any video scene with any audio track for unlimited combinations - Multi-Audio Mixing: Layer different sounds with individual volume controls - Beautiful Video Backgrounds: Nature, workspace, urban, and seasonal scenes - Premium Audio Library: Rain, ocean, fireplace, coffee shop, white noise, and more - Productivity Widgets: Put a clock or Pomodoro timer over your scene. Premium adds a stopwatch, world clock and countdown. - Background Audio: Continues playing when you switch apps or lock your device - Timer Function: Set sleep timers or focus sessions with fade-out - Universal App: Optimized for both iPhone and iPad with responsive layouts PERFECT FOR: - Remote work and study sessions - Meditation and mindfulness practice - Sleep aid and relaxation - Focus and concentration - Background ambience while reading AUDIO CATEGORIES: Nature sounds, white/brown noise, coffee shop atmosphere, rain variations, ocean waves, fireplace crackling, forest sounds, and curated music playlists. VIDEO SCENES: Work environments, nature landscapes, cozy fireplaces, urban views, seasonal themes, fantasy worlds, and cats. Try free scenes and sounds, then upgrade to Premium for the full library, unlimited layers and every on-screen tool. Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Terms of Use: https://scotthilderbran.github.io/ambience-pages/terms.html

About

Stepple

This app features a virtual pet that grows and thrives based on your daily physical activity. Set personalized goals, track your progress through Apple Health, and watch your pet evolve through various life stages. It offers a forgiving system for missed days and encourages consistent movement.

Highlights
  • Virtual pet grows with movement
  • Customizable daily step or calorie goals
  • Integrates with Apple Health
  • Pets evolve through life stages
  • Forgiving system for missed goals
  • Streak building and lifetime progress
  • Collectible creatures with unique colors
  • Home screen widget for progress updates
Features
Read full description

Stepple is the little pet that grows when you move. Even a walk around the block is enough. Hatch an egg, pick a daily goal that fits where you are right now, and watch your pet thrive as you move. Meet your goal and your Stepple gains hearts. Miss a day and they lose one, but a good walk tomorrow starts winning them back. START WHEREVER YOU ARE Choose a steps goal or an active-calorie goal, as small as a short daily walk or as big as marathon training. Stepple reads your steps, active calories and workouts from Apple Health, so walking the dog, a gym session, a bike ride or a flight of stairs all count. A hearts bar shows exactly how your pet is doing: thriving, content, tired, sick or critical. WATCH THEM GROW Every goal day brings your pet closer to their next form. Keep showing up and they grow from Baby to Teen, Adult, Prime and finally Elder, each stage with a new look and its own celebration. FORGIVING BY DESIGN One bad day won't break anything. A missed day costs a heart, and each goal day earns half a heart back. Your pet only reaches the end of their story after several missed days in a row, so there's room for a rough week, a trip or a sick day. Every evolution also earns credit toward a Streak Freeze, which can cover a missed day before it counts against you. BUILD A STREAK Hit your goal today, tomorrow and the day after, and watch your streak climb. Stepple tracks a streak for each pet and a lifetime streak across every pet you raise, so your progress carries on. A COLLECTION THAT FEELS PERSONAL 10+ creatures to discover, each with their own look and attitude. Every egg hatches in a randomly rolled color, so no two pets are alike, even of the same species. Keep hitting your goal to earn your next egg. Some pets unlock only through dedication: one after enough goal days, another at a long streak, and more waiting to be found. THE GARDEN & THE GRAVEYARD Pets you've moved on from live in a pixel-art garden, where you can visit them or bring one back. Pets whose story has ended rest in a graveyard, each tombstone marking their name and lifespan. Every pet you raise becomes part of your history. COMPETE WITH FRIENDS Join a leaderboard with friends and see who moves the most each week. Turn your pet and progress into a story-sized card and share it anywhere. EARN YOUR REPUTATION 20+ tiered accolades for running, swimming, cycling, yoga, hiking, strength training, dance and team sports. Your pet develops an Activity Trait that reflects how you like to move, plus 15+ achievements that stay with you across every pet. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN An animated pet lives in a free home screen widget, in small and medium sizes, reacting to your progress without opening the app. STEPPLE+ Go further with an optional subscription: • Premium pets and exclusive characters • Raise two pets at once • Hatch new pets faster • Host your own leaderboards • Live Activity tracking on your lock screen • Pixel-art scenes, custom hearts, pattern overlays and app icons Free players can still choose from 20+ heart colors and several background gradients. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-up, no ads. Your Apple Health data is read on your device to care for your pet and isn't shared anywhere, unless you turn on optional social features like leaderboards, which publish activity stats (like steps and goal progress) through Apple's CloudKit. You're always in control of what you share. --- STEPPLE+ SUBSCRIPTION Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://stepple.fit/terms Privacy Policy: https://stepple.fit/privacy

Screenshots

Ambient Lab4 screens
Stepple4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ambient Lab at every 2 days against Stepple's every 3 weeks. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Ambient Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Stepple sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ambient Lab against 5.0 for Stepple. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ambient Lab ships an update every 2 days, Stepple every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Ambient Lab versus Stepple: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmbient LabStepple
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.518.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size619 MB100 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGregory Hilderbran JrJoseph DeGrand

Customer experience

Ambient Lab

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stepple

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ambient Lab

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$4.991 Month
  • Annual Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$59.99
2 purchases

Stepple

Subscriptions2
  • Stepple+$4.991 Month
  • Stepple+7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Ambient Lab free?
Ambient Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stepple free?
Stepple is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ambient Lab or Stepple?
Ambient Lab and Stepple are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Ambient Lab or Stepple have ads?
Neither Ambient Lab nor Stepple shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ambient Lab or Stepple?
Ambient Lab ships an update every 2 days, and Stepple every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ambient Lab was updated on November 5, 2026 and Stepple on October 31, 2026.

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