Comparison

Tidepool Tycoon vs Chaichi

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

Head to head
About

Tidepool Tycoon

Features
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Tap a tidepool, build a harbor, watch it come alive. Tidepool Tycoon is a cozy idle tycoon where you grow a tiny tidal cove into a bustling seaside harbor — fishing huts, kelp farms, a glowing tidepool aquarium, a lighthouse, and more, each earning Shells on their own, even while you're away. HOW IT WORKS • Place and upgrade buildings along the shore — each earns Shells every second • Tap buildings for bonus collections on top of your passive income • Come back later to a "Welcome Back" haul of everything you earned while gone • "Set Sail" to reset your cove for a permanent production boost — and unlock a brand new look for the whole harbor A LIVING WORLD, NOT JUST A SPREADSHEET • Shimmering, animated water and a slow day-to-night lighting cycle • Gulls wheel overhead, crabs scuttle the shoreline, dolphins leap offshore • Drag every building — and every decoration — anywhere you like. It's your cove, arranged your way • Set Sail through four hand-illustrated biomes: Dawn Cove, Sunset Harbor, Moonlit Bay, and Aurora Tide BUILT TO RESPECT YOUR TIME • Full offline progress — your harbor never stops earning • Daily streaks reward you for just checking in • Free to play, with fair optional extras: remove ads, boost your offline earnings, or join the Tidepool Club for an ongoing production boost — never required to enjoy the game Plant your first fishing hut and see what your cove becomes. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chaichi

Features
Read full description

Pour chai. Get rich. Slowly at first. You start with one glass on a street corner in Sulaymaniyah. You pour it yourself, someone drinks it, and you pour another. Then you hire a chaichi to carry the tray. You buy a samovar that never goes off the boil. A cart, because wheels beat walls. A tea house with plastic stools and a backgammon board nobody gets up from. By the end, chai is leaving your yard for every border crossing. • 11 things to own, from one glass to an export house • 9 real cities, Sulaymaniyah to Basra • 20 regulars — one comes in each day, and if you pour it how they like it they keep the seat for good • Keeps earning while you are away No sign-in, no internet needed, and nothing to buy. Adverts only if you tap one — nothing ever plays on its own. An istikan is the little waisted glass. A samovar is what it comes from. A chaichi is the man carrying nine of them on one tray. Real words for real things.

Screenshots

Tidepool Tycoon4 screens
Chaichi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chaichi at none against Tidepool Tycoon's 8. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Tidepool Tycoon sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Chaichi asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tidepool Tycoon ships an update every 2 weeks, Chaichi every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Tidepool Tycoon versus Chaichi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTidepool TycoonChaichi
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTam TranDiyar Burhan Omar

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Tidepool Tycoon

Subscriptions1
  • Tidepool Club$9.991 Month
One-time7
  • Pearl Pack - Small$0.99
  • Castaway Pack$2.99
  • Pearl Pack - Medium$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Harbormaster Deed$6.99
  • Pearl Pack - Large$9.99
  • Founder's Chest$19.99
  • Pearl Pack - Huge$19.99
None

Chaichi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tidepool Tycoon free?
Tidepool Tycoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chaichi free?
Chaichi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tidepool Tycoon or Chaichi have ads?
Both Tidepool Tycoon and Chaichi show ads.
Which is updated more often, Tidepool Tycoon or Chaichi?
Tidepool Tycoon ships an update every 2 weeks, and Chaichi every 9 days. Most recently, Tidepool Tycoon was updated on October 3, 2026 and Chaichi on October 15, 2026.

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