Comparison

Panda Friends vs Islo

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

Head to head
About

Panda Friends

Care for a virtual panda in a relaxing pixel art world. Engage in simple gameplay, learn about wildlife, and enjoy a lofi soundtrack. Features augmented reality to bring your panda into the real world.

Highlights
  • Virtual panda care
  • Relaxing pixel art world
  • Augmented reality features
  • Wildlife facts and biomes
  • Lofi ambient soundtrack
  • Mini-games and utilities
Features
Read full description

Your Panda Core escape. Meet your new friend in a peaceful pixel art world where you can relax, play, and learn about wildlife. GAMEPLAY A virtual pet app about finding calm moments in your day: • Drop food for your panda and invite companions to play • No timers or complex mechanics — just check in once or twice a day • Track your progress and compete worldwide Perfect for study sessions, work breaks, or winding down before bed. Everything syncs via iCloud across all your devices. POCKET PANDA AR Take your panda beyond the screen and into the real world: • Place your panda on any flat surface using your camera • Record videos and capture photos to share • Save memories with location tags and watermarks DISCOVER Learn about wildlife while you play: • Explore 4 biomes: Forest, Ocean, Polar, and Savanna • Fun facts about real animals and conservation • Beautiful, non-AI photography from around the world COMPANIONS & SCENES Your panda's world is full of friends and places to explore: • Unique animal companions to meet and play with • Handcrafted pixel art scenes to discover • Watch them interact, laugh, and enjoy life together ARCADE & UTILITIES Mini-games for when you want a little action, and utilities for staying productive: • Arcade games with global leaderboards • Zen Match, Journal, Pomodoro Timer, Meditation, and more • Earn rewards to keep your panda happy MUSIC & ATMOSPHERE The lofi soundtrack shuffles continuously: • Creates an ambient backdrop for focus or relaxation • Transitions smoothly between tracks without interruption • Can play for hours without thinking about it Made in collaboration with real artists.

About

Islo

Features
Read full description

Tap an egg, meet a tiny baby and raise it right on your iPhone: in the Dynamic Island, on the Lock Screen, in StandBy and in widgets. Feed it, bathe it, play with it and watch it grow up. It never dies and never makes you feel guilty. HATCH IT AND WATCH IT GROW • Tap the egg until the shell cracks and your baby pops out • It grows from baby to child, teen and adult, celebrating each stage • As an adult it shows a personality shaped by your care: playful, cuddly, foodie or sparkly EVERYDAY CARE • Drag food right to its mouth and watch it munch with puffy cheeks • Clean up little poops with one tap • Rub it with bubbly foam at bath time • Pet it, tickle it, boop its nose • Tuck it in and turn the lights off for a starry night PLAY TOGETHER • Playroom mini-games: Which Way?, Catch the Snacks, Pop the Bubbles • Teach tricks with praise: a big jump, spin, bow and dance • It dances along when you play your music COINS, SHOP AND ALBUM • Earn coins with daily tasks and open a gift box every day • Buy treats, toys and decor for the room • A memory album keeps the hatching, every stage and each learned trick IT LIVES ON YOUR IPHONE • Sleeps on your schedule and wakes up with you • Celebrates your step goal and hides from the rain • Curls up on the charger and puts on a tie before a meeting • Feed, pet and play from the widget or the Live Activity without opening the app NO GUILT, EVER Your creature never dies and never runs away. A basic daily ration always refills, so it never goes hungry. On a frosty day it may catch a cold, which is just a sneeze and a cup of tea. Gentle reminders are cheerful, and skipping one changes nothing. PICK YOUR FRIEND Puff is a warm fluffy ball, Drop is a calm little slime philosopher, Chirp is a quick curious spark of a bird. Dress them in hats, scarves and new outfit packs, and preview every item on the Dynamic Island, the Lock Screen and widgets. VISITS Send your creature to a friend for an hour. They see it in their own Live Activity after they accept the visit. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No sign-up • Steps stay on your device • Only the start times of calendar events are read, never titles or guests • Every data source is off until you turn it on, and Islo is complete without any of them • No ads ISLO PRO Pro grows your family: a second creature and new generations hatched from eggs, up to four together. It adds real-time weather and calendar reactions from our server, a livelier Live Activity, flip and roll tricks, a double daily gift, your own photos in the album and exclusive items. Item packs are one-time purchases. Coins and food baskets are optional purchases. Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://isloapp.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://isloapp.web.app/privacy

Screenshots

Panda Friends4 screens
Islo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Panda Friends at every 9 days against Islo's every 3 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. Panda Friends sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Islo sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Panda Friends ships an update every 9 days, Islo every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Panda Friends versus Islo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPanda FriendsIslo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.617.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMax MarquardtYevhenii Bruchkovskyi

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Panda Friends

One-time13
  • Axolotl$0.99
  • Hedgehog$0.99
  • Brown Kitten$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Orange Fox$1.99
  • Arctic Fox$1.99
  • Bunny$1.99
  • Buck$2.99
  • Doe$2.99
  • German Shepherd$2.99
  • The Tetons$3.99
  • 50's Noir$3.99
  • Kawaii City Scene$3.99
  • Super Food Unlimited$4.99
10 purchases

Islo

One-time10
  • A handful of coins$0.99
  • Animal pack$1.99
  • Party pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Sweet basket$1.99
  • Spooky pack$2.99
  • Story Heroes pack$2.99
  • Tokyo & Seoul pack$2.99
  • A pouch of coins$2.99
  • Feast basket$3.99
  • A chest of coins$5.99

Questions

Is Panda Friends free?
Panda Friends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Islo free?
Islo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Panda Friends or Islo have ads?
Neither Panda Friends nor Islo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Panda Friends or Islo?
Panda Friends ships an update every 9 days, and Islo every 3 weeks. Most recently, Panda Friends was updated on October 30, 2026 and Islo on October 29, 2026.

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