Comparison

Balcony Lab vs Rooftop Buddies

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

Head to head
About

Balcony Lab

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Your balcony becomes a Tiny Lab that brings forth miraculous discoveries! Balcony Lab is a fresh, hyper-casual gardening simulation where growing and collecting become addictive. Will your usual vegetables suddenly mutate into a blue tomato or a golden eggplant!? Start your unique new species collection right in your hands! - Cultivation is Key! Experiments at Balcony Lab The real fun in this game is searching for the recipe for new species through trial and error! You won't stop at just watering. Your small actions will transform vegetables into never-before-seen forms. Adjust the amount and frequency of watering and fertilizing! Challenge yourself with consecutive planting in the same pot! Accumulate specific actions to evolve your crops! The cultivation process yields unpredictable results in this casual mutation simulation. - Complete the Codex! Collect 72 Unique Species The new crops you harvest are packed with collector elements to fill your codex! Discover all 60 types of mutant species, each with unique names and stories, such as the Lava Tomato with a bumpy surface or the Meadow Scent Broccoli, and aim for 100% completion. - One Hand OK! Easy to Play Anytime No complex operations necessary! It's a simple process of planting seeds and waiting for them to grow. This hyper-casual design allows you to quickly enjoy the game during short breaks or commutes. Start your own [Balcony Lab] today! Challenge yourself to complete the entire new species codex! Download Balcony Lab for FREE now!

About

Rooftop Buddies

Features
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Grow a small rooftop of your own. Plant seeds, care for your crops and decorate a cozy retreat. Your plants never wither while you are away. Cook with your harvest and invite your neighbors over for a little gathering. โ€ข Water, nourish and brush away bugs โ€ข Grow basil, strawberries, lavender and more โ€ข Cook recipes and fulfill neighbor requests โ€ข Decorate with benches, rugs and gentle lights โ€ข Meet a cat and sparrow and collect their photos โ€ข Enjoy scenery that follows morning, day, dusk and midnight โ€ข Share a postcard of your actual garden Start free, without ads. Try 5 crops, 2 recipes, 6 pots and your first neighbor picnic. Free gardening and decorating remain playable. Full Garden Unlock โ€” one in-app purchase Open more crops and recipes, repeatable NPC neighbor gatherings and requests, all 6 animal photos, and the Sunlit Garden and Blossom Retreat growth paths. The full collection has 11 crops, 7 recipes and 3 gatherings. Choose additional seeds and recipes and begin the Sunlit Garden after unlocking. Complete that project, then begin Blossom Retreat to open chamomile and the flower tea gathering. Finish the base pot expansions and both projects to work toward up to 14 pots and 35 floor cells. Expansions require harvest goals, in-game coins and project conditions; buying does not instantly grant 14 pots or 35 cells. Included for existing Full Garden Unlock owners, with no subscriptions or play-duration limits. Your next garden action Goal buttons lead to the crop pot, recipe, decoration or gathering you need. Choose ready pots or pots needing care, then return to preparations. The unlock panel previews your own layout across 25, 30 and 35 cells and shows actions available in your current progress. You choose when to harvest, restart growth, cook, place items and invite NPC neighbors. Travel with your rooftop garden Start with Seoul and Namsan, then collect Tokyo Tower, Eiffel Tower and Times Square views. Each city changes the neighboring buildings, streets and skyline and includes morning, day, dusk and midnight. Preview your current layout in Decorate โ†’ City views and unlock views permanently with earned harvest coins. Full Garden owners, including existing owners, can immediately choose two city views they do not already own. Switching views preserves crop growth and furniture placement. Basic play works offline. Product lookup, purchase, restoration and entitlement checks require internet. Garden progress is stored on your device. Purchase restoration does not restore garden progress. Cloud progress sync and visits to real friends' gardens are not currently supported. Privacy: https://game.rowanzone.co.kr/rooftop-buddies/en/privacy/ Support: https://game.rowanzone.co.kr/rooftop-buddies/en/support/

Screenshots

Balcony Lab4 screens
Rooftop Buddies4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Balcony Lab at none against Rooftop Buddies's 1. Balcony Lab also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Rooftop Buddies's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days). On price 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. Rooftop Buddies sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Balcony Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Balcony Lab ships an update every 8 days, Rooftop Buddies every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Balcony Lab versus Rooftop Buddies: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBalcony LabRooftop Buddies
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better15.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size103 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoichi Iwasaki๋กœ์™„์ธํ„ฐ๋ ‰ํ‹ฐ๋ธŒ

In-app purchases

None

Balcony Lab

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Rooftop Buddies

One-time1
  • Full Garden Unlock$2.90

Questions

Is Balcony Lab free?
Balcony Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rooftop Buddies free?
Rooftop Buddies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Balcony Lab or Rooftop Buddies have ads?
Balcony Lab shows ads; Rooftop Buddies does not.
Which is updated more often, Balcony Lab or Rooftop Buddies?
Balcony Lab ships an update every 8 days, and Rooftop Buddies every 2 days. Most recently, Balcony Lab was updated on October 30, 2026 and Rooftop Buddies on October 31, 2026.

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