Comparison

Dotling vs Bova Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Dotling

Features
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A pocket virtual pet that lives on a real dot-matrix LCD. No emoji, no cartoons: just 576 dots, a beeping little friend and the feeling of the keychain toy you carried in the 90s. HATCH IT โ€ข Start with an egg and watch it hatch, grow and evolve through 5 stages โ€ข Three species: Dotto the blob, Peep the bird and Nyx the cat โ€ข Adults evolve differently depending on your care: Classic, Radiant or Scruffy CARE FOR IT โ€ข Meals and snacks, cleaning, medicine, lights out at bedtime โ€ข Discipline it when it misbehaves, or it grows up wild โ€ข Gentle reminders, at most 3 a day, only when your pet really needs you โ€ข Vacation mode freezes all needs while you are away PLAY WITH IT โ€ข Guess the Turn: the classic virtual pet duel โ€ข Stop the Dot: a timing game that speeds up every round โ€ข Hi-Lo: will the next number be higher or lower? KEEP IT CLOSE โ€ข Home Screen widgets show your pet and its meters โ€ข Lock Screen widgets tell you at a glance when it is hungry or bored โ€ข LCD beeps and haptics, with on/off switches A REAL SIMULATION โ€ข Time passes while the app is closed, and it is handled fairly โ€ข Care windows are measured in hours, not minutes โ€ข Every pet passes a trait to the next generation โ€ข Records, a graveyard for every lineage and 8 achievements to unlock DOTLING PREMIUM Your first generation is free forever. Dotling Premium unlocks every later generation, the bird and cat species, and the Amber, Ice and Noir LCD screens. The yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in your account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.dijitalpilot.com/uygulama-gizlilik/

About

Bova Buddy

Features
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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

Dotling4 screens
Bova Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bova Buddy at none against Dotling's 2. Bova Buddy also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Dotling's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Dotling sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Bova Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dotling ships an update every 5 days, Bova Buddy every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Dotling versus Bova Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDotlingBova Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size9 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDIJITAL PILOT REKLAM SANAYI TICARET LIMITED SIRKETINOAH EVANS

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Dotling

Subscriptions2
  • Dotling Premium$5.991 Month
  • Dotling Premium7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

Bova Buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dotling free?
Dotling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bova Buddy free?
Bova Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dotling or Bova Buddy have ads?
Neither Dotling nor Bova Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dotling or Bova Buddy?
Dotling ships an update every 5 days, and Bova Buddy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dotling was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bova Buddy on October 24, 2026.

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