Comparison

Animo Core vs TamaShell

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

Head to head
About

Animo Core

Features
Read full description

Your steps aren't just numbers, they're what brings your companions to life! Animo turns everyday walking into a cozy pet-collecting adventure. Every step hatches eggs, grows your companions, and keeps them happy. No timers, no pretending, just real movement. WALK TO HATCH & GROW Your first egg hatches in just 200 steps. Keep walking to level up your active companion and earn Kibble to feed them. Turn your daily walks, commutes, or travel days into progress for your companions. COLLECT 90+ COMPANIONS Discover 90+ unique companions across multiple lineages and 4 rarities. Hatch adorable creatures, discover rare companions, and watch them grow from Juvenile to fully-grown Adult. CHOOSE THEIR PATH Your choices shape who they become. Will your teen companion become an artist or a scientist? A chef or a pirate? Choose their path and create a collection that's uniquely yours. CARE & BUILD Feed your companions Kibble, Candy, and Elixirs to boost their mood. Use the steps you walk to unlock trees, lanterns, ponds, and more, then create a free-roaming garden for your companions to explore. PLAY & EARN REWARDS Progress through the 30-tier Stride Pass just by walking. Need a break? Take on quick training minigames that test your reflexes and memory for bonus rewards. BRING THEM TO LIFE IN AR Place your Animo in the real world. Watch them arrive with a magical umbrella parachute, feed them Kibble, play fetch, hunt for hidden crystals, and take photos with custom AR frames. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS Add friends with an invite code, compare your progress on the leaderboard, check out their companions, and show off your own collection. Walk. Hatch. Grow. Available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Traditional Chinese. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

TamaShell

Features
Read full description

TamaShell is a virtual pet that lives entirely inside a fake computer terminal. Hatch an egg, then keep your pet fed, clean, rested, and happy using simple typed commands or on screen buttons. Your pet keeps living in real time, even while the app is closed, so a few days of neglect will actually catch up with you. Along the way there is a full day and night cycle, a coin economy you can earn by putting your pet to work, a shop for food and room decorations, and more... who knows what hides away in the terminal? If your pet dies, it does not just disappear. Reset and start the next generation. Raise a pet. Keep the terminal alive.

Screenshots

Animo Core4 screens
TamaShell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TamaShell at none against Animo Core's shown. Animo Core's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases 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. Animo Core sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and TamaShell sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Animo Core ships an update every 6 days, TamaShell monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Animo Core versus TamaShell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnimo CoreTamaShell
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days โ€” betterMonthly
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better17.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size349 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKEITH TAKAWIRAKAMIL BARCZAK

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Animo Core

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Animo Pass$5.991 Month
One-time4
  • Handful of Star Shards$0.49
  • Pouch of Star Shards$2.99
  • Premium Animo Pass$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Vault of Star Shards$9.99
4 purchases

TamaShell

One-time4
  • Cat Form$1.99
  • Robot Form$1.99
  • $ theme creator -enable$3.99
Show 1 more
  • TamaShell Pro Set$5.99

Questions

Is Animo Core free?
Animo Core is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TamaShell free?
TamaShell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Animo Core or TamaShell have ads?
Animo Core shows ads; TamaShell does not.
Which is updated more often, Animo Core or TamaShell?
Animo Core ships an update every 6 days, and TamaShell monthly. Most recently, Animo Core was updated on October 19, 2026 and TamaShell on October 20, 2026.

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