Comparison

Cosmo vs Pixel Island

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

Head to head
About

Cosmo

Transform a photo of your pet into a charming pixelated companion that lives on your iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Watch your virtual pet sleep, play, and eat throughout the day, offering a delightful and low-maintenance digital friend.

Highlights
  • Create pixel pet from pet photo
  • Lives on Lock Screen
  • Appears in Dynamic Island
  • Pet animations (sleep, play, eat)
  • One-time purchase
  • iCloud backup
Features
Read full description

Take one photo of your pet — and it moves in. Cosmo turns that photo into a little pixel animal that lives on your Lock Screen and up in the Dynamic Island. It sleeps, stretches, plays and eats its way through the day, right where you look a hundred times anyway. No feeding, no chores, no streak to keep alive. HOW IT WORKS • Take a photo of your dog, cat or rabbit • Watch it turn into a pixel pet, frame by frame • Give it a name and let it move in WHERE IT LIVES On your Lock Screen — and in the Dynamic Island on the iPhones that have one. Even when the app is closed. YOURS, FOR GOOD One purchase, no subscription. Your pet is backed up to your private iCloud, so it survives a new phone.

About

Pixel Island

Bring a personalized pixel-art companion to your iPhone's Dynamic Island. Create unique pets using AI from your photos or choose from a collection of handmade characters. Customize widgets with your pet, clock, weather, and more.

Highlights
  • AI-generated pixel pets from photos
  • Daily free handmade pets
  • Customizable Dynamic Island widgets
  • Pixel art editor
  • Themed character collections
  • Lock Screen widgets
Read full description

Adopt a tiny pixel-art companion… living right in your Dynamic Island! Pixel Island turns your iPhone's Dynamic Island into a mini terrarium: an animated pixel pet walks, naps and keeps you company all day long while you use your other apps. Long-press the island to see it big, in its own little scene. YOUR PET, CREATED BY AI • Pick any photo: your cat, your plush, your favorite character… • AI redraws it as an animated pixel-art pet in seconds • It joins your collection and moves into your Dynamic Island A WHOLE COLLECTION • Handmade pixel pets: fox, panda, parrot, axolotl, T-Rex… • A new free pet every day • Themed character collections, poses and colors • Draw your own pet pixel by pixel in the pixel editor ONE WIDGET, EVERY STYLE • Classic: your pet, clock, battery, countdown, calendar, weather • Casino Slots: pull the lever and watch the pets roll • iPod Music Widget: your Apple Music in a retro iPod • A Lock Screen widget and pixel scenes to match your setup • Pick a theme right in "Edit Widget" PREMIUM • Every pet, scene and widget unlocked • Gems to create your AI pets • Alternate app icons • Free trial, cancel anytime Now in 10 languages. Subscriptions renew automatically and can be cancelled anytime in your Apple Account settings. — Privacy Policy: https://ywrld14.github.io/pixel-island-site/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://ywrld14.github.io/pixel-island-site/terms.html Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cosmo4 screens
Pixel Island4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pixel Island at 100% against Cosmo's 70%. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Cosmo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pixel Island sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cosmo ships an update every 8 days, Pixel Island every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Cosmo versus Pixel Island: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCosmoPixel Island
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNiklas AlbrechtYanis ZINE

Customer experience

Cosmo

Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%

Pixel Island

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cosmo

One-time1
  • Pet Transformation$3.99
7 purchases

Pixel Island

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time4
  • 200 Gems$3.99
  • 600 Gems$8.99
  • 2000 Gems$22.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Premium$34.99

Questions

Is Cosmo free?
Cosmo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixel Island free?
Pixel Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cosmo or Pixel Island have ads?
Neither Cosmo nor Pixel Island shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cosmo or Pixel Island?
Cosmo ships an update every 8 days, and Pixel Island every 10 days. Most recently, Cosmo was updated on November 6, 2026 and Pixel Island on November 6, 2026.

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