Comparison

Pixel Islands vs RDL

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Islands

This app transforms your daily steps into a growing pixel-art island. Walk to unlock new worlds and watch your virtual environment flourish, all while respecting your privacy and using minimal battery.

Highlights
  • Real-life step tracking
  • Pixel-art island growth
  • 8 handcrafted island stages
  • Home Screen widget
  • 21 unique worlds to unlock
  • Privacy-focused data handling
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Every step you take builds a world. Pixel Islands is a step tracker game for iPhone — a cozy walking game where your real steps, counted privately through Apple Health, grow a floating pixel-art island from bare rock to a living diorama, through 8 handcrafted stages. No ads, no streak pressure, no guilt. Just gentle progress you can actually see. HOW IT WORKS ▸ Walk in real life — the app reads your step count securely from Apple Health ▸ Watch your island evolve through 8 handcrafted stages ▸ Complete an island, then choose your next world ▸ Add the Home Screen widget and watch your island grow without opening the app 21 WORLDS TO GROW Begin on a peaceful grassland, then walk your way to tropical shores, sakura gardens, crystal caves, a steampunk skyport, Mount Olympus, golden Asgard, sunken Atlantis — and now Rustbloom, a lamplit ruin that flowers again as you walk. Every island is a hand-drawn pixel diorama with its own character, and new worlds are always on the way. A STEP COUNTER THAT RESPECTS YOU ▸ Private by design: the app reads your step count — nothing else ▸ No GPS: steps come from motion data your iPhone already collects ▸ Optional, quiet milestone notifications — off until you turn them on ▸ iCloud sync keeps your island collection safe across devices ▸ Beautiful in light and dark mode, localized into 20 languages COMMON QUESTIONS Does Pixel Islands drain my battery? No. Step counting is done by your iPhone's low-power motion chip whether or not any app is installed. Pixel Islands simply reads that count from Apple Health and never uses GPS, so battery impact is close to zero. Does it work with Apple Watch? Yes. Steps recorded by your Apple Watch are saved to Apple Health, and Pixel Islands reads them from there — walks with just your Watch count too. Do I need to keep the app open while I walk? No. Your iPhone counts steps in the background all day. Open Pixel Islands whenever you like and tap through every stage your island grew while you were away — or just glance at the widget. Is Pixel Islands free? Yes — free islands await, and the full loop (walk, grow, complete, choose the next world) is free. Legendary worlds unlock with Pixel Islands Premium, an optional auto-renewable subscription. Is Pixel Islands a walking game or a step counter? Both. Underneath, it is a private pedometer that reads your steps from Apple Health. On top, it is a cozy walking game — a gamified step counter where the reward is not hitting a number, it is watching a world grow. Is it like a virtual pet? Close: think of a Tamagotchi powered by walking. Instead of feeding a creature, your steps grow an island — and it never gets sad or dies while you are away. A slow week just means slower growth. Is my health data private? Pixel Islands reads your step count and nothing else. Your data is never sold, never used for ads, and never shared — it stays in Apple's ecosystem. BUILD A WALKING HABIT THAT STICKS A pedometer shows you a number; Pixel Islands shows you what your steps made. Small walks add up — and your islands remember all of them. Your first island is waiting on bare rock. It grows the moment you do. Website: https://pixelislands.app Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pixelislands.app/privacy/

About

RDL

Features
Read full description

RDL: Turn Your Steps into Impact! RDL is a GPS-based gamification app that turns your daily moves into real-world benefits at no cost to you! How it works: 1. Walk on the map and conquer territories. 2. Earn points and climb the leaderboard. 3. If you are in the top 3 at the end of the month, we donate to your chosen charity from our own budget on your behalf. Get moving, explore, and be a force for good!

Screenshots

Pixel Islands4 screens
RDL4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RDL at none against Pixel Islands's 3. RDL also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and ads 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. Pixel Islands sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. RDL asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pixel Islands versus RDL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel IslandsRDL
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size214 MB28 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKiril LozovoyHseyin Atak

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pixel Islands

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly Access$0.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Access$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • premium$9.99
None

RDL

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Islands free?
Pixel Islands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RDL free?
RDL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixel Islands or RDL have ads?
Neither Pixel Islands nor RDL shows ads.

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