Dopamine Pet vs Bova Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Dopamine Pet
Read full descriptionHide full description
Dopamine Pet is a tiny habit game โ keep your glowing creature alive with daily check-ins. Miss a day, the glow dims. Stack a streak, the colors evolve. A nudge toward small consistent habits, dressed as a creature. โข On-device pet, streak shield, cosmetics โข Grow through tiers, unlock new auras โข Premium forms with Pro โข No accounts, no ads Dopamine Pet is entertainment / habit-game only. Not medical advice. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Bova Buddy
Read full descriptionHide full description
It has opinions. Bova Buddy is a virtual pet game where your pet is a rock. Swipe to pet it, earn its trust, unlock its moods and sarcastic remarks โ and watch a stone slowly learn to like you. No ads, no accounts, plays offline. KEY FEATURES - Pet the Rock: Swipe to pet it. Longer strokes build more trust. Tap it or shake your phone and it reacts โ but don't overdo it, or it gets offended for a moment. - 4 Relationship Levels: Go from Suspicious Mineral to Familiar Boulder, Stone Companion and finally Kindred Rock. Every level changes its face, mood and what it says to you. - Cracks & Life Cycle: Each level leaves a crack. At 100% the rock splits, your "rocks broken" counter goes up, and a new rock arrives to start over. - Rare Events: A 5% chance after every pet โ critical pet, sneeze, identity crisis, a 3-second nap or a perfect swipe, with banners, sparks and haptics. - Coins & 19 Skins: Every pet earns a coin; level-ups and broken rocks earn more. Spend them on pirate, astronaut, knight, samurai, punk, Midas and more. Each skin changes both the rock and the world around it. - Stats Screen: Trust, level, mood, total pets, rocks broken, days together, daily average, coins earned and spent, unlocked skins and milestones. - Daily Visits: Check in every day for +1 trust and a growing "days together" streak. - Reminders: An evening nudge at 7 p.m. with a line from your rock, and a gentle reminder if you've been away for 3 days. HOW IT WORKS 1. Meet your rock. 2. Swipe to pet it and earn trust. 3. Unlock moods, phrases and skins. 4. Reach 100%, say goodbye, adopt the next one. MADE FOR SHORT BREAKS System, Light and Dark themes. Sound and haptics you can turn off. Reset the relationship anytime โ the rock will remember that.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bova Buddy at none against Dopamine Pet's 6. Dopamine Pet's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Dopamine Pet sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Bova Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dopamine Pet ships an update every 4 days, Bova Buddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dopamine Pet | Bova Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days โ better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 15.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 93 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andreas Fetscher | NOAH EVANS |
In-app purchases
Dopamine Pet
- Dopamine Pet Pro$3.991 Month
- Ticket Refresh$0.99
- Revive$0.99
- Growth Boost$1.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Cosmetic Pack$2.99
- Dopamine Pet Pro (Lifetime)$6.99
Bova Buddy
No in-app purchases









