Comparison

Hermit Crab Simulator vs Petwhile

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

Head to head
About

Hermit Crab Simulator

Create a tropical sanctuary for a virtual hermit crab. Collect shells, decorate habitats, and care for your companion. Enjoy a peaceful, ad-free experience with no subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Collect 44 unique shell designs
  • Decorate 12 environments with 29 items
  • Care for your hermit crab (feeding, misting, cleaning)
  • Unlock up to five habitats
  • Earn daily rewards and save photos
  • Optional iCloud backup
Read full description

No Ads. No Subscriptions. A Quiet Little World. Welcome a hermit crab and build a tropical home on the sand. Name your companion, collect beautiful shells, and make each habitat your own. A SHELL FOR EVERY MOOD Discover 44 shell designs, from natural spirals to fantasy jewels. Change shells while keeping your crab’s name, age, and care history. Each habitat has its own collection. CREATE YOUR SANCTUARY Explore 12 environments and arrange 29 decorations, including plants, hides, climbing structures, pools, and five luxurious treasures. Move, resize, and layer pieces to design your home. Unlock up to five habitats with a shared coin balance. CARE AND PLAY Feed your crab, mist the habitat, refresh freshwater and saltwater pools, and clean the glass. Tap the sand to play: ten taps fill playfulness. Each fresh pool adds 12 happiness for 24 hours. Optional feeding reminders help you keep a routine. A PEACEFUL POCKET COMPANION Enjoy a silent game with no ambient sound. Earn daily rewards, save terrarium photos, and use optional iCloud backup. Loading a backup replaces local progress; use one device at a time. Coins can be earned through play. Optional consumable coin packs are available through Apple in-app purchases. There are no ads or subscriptions. Care continues while the app is closed. If care lapses, the worn shell is lost. A free recovery meal brings your companion back in the starter shell; buy the lost shell again for 10% of its original coin price. Other collected shells remain yours. This is a fictional virtual-pet game. Its habitats, fantasy shells, and care timers are not instructions for real animal care.

About

Petwhile

Read full description

What do your pets get up to when you're not home? Now you can find out. Peek at the pet cam and catch them napping in odd places, chasing each other from room to room and staring very hard at a bird. Then walk in the door to the happiest hello of your day. Petwhile is a cozy pixel art world of cats and dogs with minds of their own. THE BEST PART OF YOUR DAY Come home and they come running. Tails up, hearts flying, and maybe a little gift left on the floor just for you. THEY NEVER SIT STILL Zoomies. Sunbathing. Knocking things off shelves. Your pets keep busy whether you're watching or not, and every time you come back there's a story of what you missed. WHO'S THAT AT THE WINDOW Cardinals on the sill. A raccoon in the yard. A shy stray who keeps coming back. Win their trust and they might just move in. MAKE IT YOURS • Adopt cats and dogs, each with a personality you uncover over time • Dress them up in hats, collars and scarves • Move from a city apartment to a cabin, a house and a big old barn • Fill your Field Guide with every visitor you spot • Fill your Scrapbook with every first • Toss treats, blow bubbles and roll a ball right from the camera • Keep an eye on them from your Home Screen with the Room Cam widget MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Open the phone and watch two cameras side by side. NO PRESSURE, EVER A few minutes a day is plenty. No streaks to lose. No guilt. Miss a day and your pets are just happy to see you. No ads. No account. Optional in-app purchases for kibble and item bundles.

Screenshots

Hermit Crab Simulator4 screens
Petwhile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hermit Crab Simulator at 16.0 against Petwhile's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Hermit Crab Simulator sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Petwhile sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Hermit Crab Simulator versus Petwhile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHermit Crab SimulatorPetwhile
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWYATT WAYNE KELLERLanely Labs LLC

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Hermit Crab Simulator

One-time5
  • Tiny Coin Pack$0.99
  • Small Coin Pack$3.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$7.99
Show 2 more
  • Large Coin Pack$12.99
  • Premium Coin Pack$29.99
9 purchases

Petwhile

One-time9
  • Scoop of Kibble$0.99
  • Starter Bundle$1.99
  • Bubble Day Bundle$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Little Surprise Bundle$1.99
  • Bag of Kibble$2.99
  • Cozy Night Bundle$2.99
  • Autumn Bundle$2.99
  • Sack of Kibble$5.99
  • Pantry of Kibble$9.99

Questions

Is Hermit Crab Simulator free?
Hermit Crab Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Petwhile free?
Petwhile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hermit Crab Simulator or Petwhile have ads?
Neither Hermit Crab Simulator nor Petwhile shows ads.

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