# Balcony Lab vs Sproutlings

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Balcony Lab at none against Sproutlings's 5. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sproutlings sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Balcony Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

Balcony Lab ships an update every 8 days, Sproutlings every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Balcony Lab | Sproutlings |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sproutlings/id6756928894/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 103 MB | 143 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koichi Iwasaki](https://appshunter.io/developer/1308795626) | [Vibe Coding Basics LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836769685) |

## What reviewers say

### Balcony Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balcony-lab/id6755426670)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sproutlings

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sproutlings/id6756928894)

Hatch and raise unique creatures in a personalized sanctuary. Design habitats, keep your creatures happy, and embark on expeditions to find more. Play minigames to earn rewards and build the ultimate home for your growing collection.

**Highlights:** Hatch mysterious creature eggs, Design and build creature habitats, Care for creature needs (water, food, love), Embark on rescue expeditions, Play minigames for rewards, Collect common, shiny, and legendary creatures

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy 1000 essence | $0.99 | one-time |
| buy 3500 essence! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy 9000 essence! | $6.99 | one-time |
| Buy 20,000 essence! | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Balcony Lab free?

Balcony Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sproutlings free?

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

### Do Balcony Lab or Sproutlings have ads?

Both Balcony Lab and Sproutlings show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Balcony Lab or Sproutlings?

Balcony Lab ships an update every 8 days, and Sproutlings every 5 days. Most recently, Balcony Lab was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sproutlings on October 24, 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.*