# Howrse vs Derby Life

The clearest difference is rating: Howrse at 4.1 against Derby Life's 2.9. Howrse also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 98). Derby Life's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Howrse sells 22 one-off in-app purchases and Derby Life sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Howrse holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Howrse has 3.6K ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Howrse's written reviews are positive against 21% of Derby Life's.

Howrse ships an update every 4 months, Derby Life every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Howrse | Derby Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howrse/id684830457/reviews)** | [2.9 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/derby-life/id1570099221/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 98 |
| Positive reviews | **34.8% of reviews** | 20.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 568 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ubisoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/317644720) | [Nexelon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1344860097) |

## What reviewers say

### Howrse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howrse/id684830457)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Grossing · Sports (US App Store)

Breed, train, and care for a wide variety of horses, ponies, donkeys, and unicorns. Manage your own equestrian center, compete in races and shows, and collaborate with other players to become the best breeder. Create custom artwork and share your passion with a global community.

**Highlights:** Breed diverse horse breeds, ponies, donkeys, and unicorns, Care for and train horses for competitions, Manage an equestrian center and boarding business, Equip horses with tack for performance boosts, Compete in Grand Prix events and win trophies, Create and share custom horse coats and landscapes, Play in teams to improve breeds and climb rankings

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Some Passes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Riding helmet full of Passes | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Competitor Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Select Offer XS | $5.99 | one-time |
| Satellite Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Essential Fragments Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Water trough of Passes | $14.99 | one-time |
| Season Key | $17.99 | one-time |
| Breeder Pack | $17.99 | one-time |
| Select Offer S | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teeny Pack | $20.99 | one-time |
| Deluxe custom pack | $20.99 | one-time |
| Heroes Pack | $21.99 | one-time |
| Asteroid Pack | $21.99 | one-time |
| Bags filled with Passes | $34.99 | one-time |
| Excellence Fractal Pack | $38.99 | one-time |
| Select Offer M | $42.99 | one-time |
| Triple Pack | $54.99 | one-time |
| Deluxe Breeder Pack | $59.99 | one-time |
| Wheelbarrow of Passes | $79.99 | one-time |
| Olympus Pack | $119.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing game
- 🐎 Variety of horse breeds and coats
- 🌟 Enjoyable gameplay
- 👍 Great for horse lovers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy tutorial
- 🔒 Account issues and login problems
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to desktop version
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and loading issues
- Inability to progress past tutorial
- Disappearing horses and lost progress
- Incorrect login/password errors

**Requested features**

- Access to Equestrian Center on app
- More ways to earn passes/currency
- Ability to skip tutorial
- Improved navigation and user interface


### Derby Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/derby-life/id1570099221)

Manage a horse ranch, raise and train your own horses, and compete in races worldwide. Breed horses with unique traits and upgrade facilities to achieve your racing dreams.

**Highlights:** Realistic 3D horse graphics, Horse raising and farm management, Horse training and stat upgrades, Horse breeding for unique traits, Global racing competitions, Ranch facility upgrades, Horse gear upgrades

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grow Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Diamonds01 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Special Package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Grow Package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Special Horse -2 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Season Pass | $6.99 | one-time |
| Diamonds02 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Season Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Season Pass B | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Horse -3 | $10.99 | one-time |
| Diamonds03 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Black Friday | $14.99 | one-time |
| Special Horse -4 | $20.99 | one-time |
| Diamonds04 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Diamonds05 | $36.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Realistic horses
- 👍 Free coins and gems
- 👍 Fair monetization
- 👍 Relaxing atmosphere
- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Graphics like a cheap imitation
- 👎 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 👎 Game doesn't load or crashes
- 👎 Long loading times
- 👎 Camera moves uncontrollable

**Reported bugs**

- Game does not load
- Crashes to home screen
- Stuck on loading screen
- Game freezes during races
- Cannot get into the game

**Requested features**

- Add more breeds and coats
- Expand stall capacity
- Add dressage and show jumping
- Add a stud farm
- Improve breeding potential system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Howrse free?

Howrse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Derby Life free?

Derby Life is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Howrse or Derby Life?

Howrse is rated higher. Howrse averages 4.1 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Derby Life averages 2.9 from 98 ratings.

### Do Howrse or Derby Life have ads?

Derby Life shows ads; Howrse does not.

### Which is updated more often, Howrse or Derby Life?

Howrse ships an update every 4 months, and Derby Life every 5 weeks. Most recently, Howrse was updated on November 1, 2026 and Derby Life on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*