# Nicole vs Hosted Games

The clearest difference is rating: Hosted Games at 4.7 against Nicole's 4.2. Hosted Games also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 20 months) and review sentiment (77% vs 61%). Nicole's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nicole sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Hosted Games sells 33 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hosted Games holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hosted Games has 1K ratings behind it against 108, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Nicole's written reviews are positive against 77% of Hosted Games's.

Nicole ships an update every 20 months, Hosted Games every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nicole | Hosted Games |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (108 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nicole/id794491905/reviews) | **[4.7 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 108 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | 61.3% of reviews | **77.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 118 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Celso Riva](https://appshunter.io/developer/331419396) | [Hosted Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/482415564) |

## What reviewers say

### Nicole

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nicole/id794491905)

Experience college life while unraveling a campus mystery. Engage in daily activities, take part-time jobs, and interact with intriguing characters. You might even find yourself dating the culprit.

**Highlights:** Dating sim gameplay, Campus mystery storyline, Part-time jobs for income, Explore various locations, Multiple dating options, Multiple endings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add 100 units of in-game currency | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all male romances | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Interesting story and characters
- 👍 Unique and engaging gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful art style
- 🎶 Enjoyable soundtrack

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive full version price
- ⏱️ Short trial period
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Locked content behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Ending glitches preventing true endings
- Progress loss after exiting the app
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- More free content in trial version
- Ability to switch between love interests
- Longer gameplay duration
- Improved save/load functionality


### Hosted Games

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731)

Explore a vast library of text-based interactive novels where your choices shape the narrative. Engage in diverse genres from horror and fantasy to romance and sci-fi, all powered by your imagination. Create your own stories using a simple scripting language.

**Highlights:** Vast library of interactive novels, Text-based storytelling, Choice-driven narratives, Multiple genres available, Create your own games, ChoiceScript programming language

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

**In-app purchases (33)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dragon of Steelthorne | $2.99 | one-time |
| Side Stories 21-30 | $2.99 | one-time |
| First Bull Run | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tokyo Wizard | $2.99 | one-time |
| It Takes Three to Tango | $3.99 | one-time |
| Divine Ascension | $4.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga | $4.99 | one-time |
| Keeper's Vigil | $5.99 | one-time |
| World War II Armored Recon | $5.99 | one-time |
| Life as a Lich | $5.99 | one-time |
| Velocity: The Race Begins | $6.99 | one-time |
| Keeper of the Sun and Moon | $6.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga Book 6 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Rebirth | $6.99 | one-time |
| Hero or Villain: Genesis | $6.99 | one-time |
| A Kiss from Death | $6.99 | one-time |
| Kitsune | $6.99 | one-time |
| Whiskey-Four | $6.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Soul Stone War | $7.99 | one-time |
| Leas: City of the Sun | $7.99 | one-time |
| The People's House | $7.99 | one-time |
| Scales of Justice | $7.99 | one-time |
| Tale of Two Cranes | $8.99 | one-time |
| Breach: The Archangel Job | $8.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two | $8.99 | one-time |
| Saturnine | $8.99 | one-time |
| The Golden Rose: Book One | $11.99 | one-time |
| Diaspora | $11.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles Three | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Retribution | $11.99 | one-time |
| An Unexpectedly Green Journey | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fields of Asphodel | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nicole free?

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

### Is Hosted Games free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nicole or Hosted Games?

Hosted Games is rated higher. Nicole averages 4.2 out of 5 from 108 ratings, while Hosted Games averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.

### Do Nicole or Hosted Games have ads?

Hosted Games shows ads; Nicole does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nicole or Hosted Games?

Nicole ships an update every 20 months, and Hosted Games every 10 days. Most recently, Nicole was updated on October 20, 2026 and Hosted Games on October 21, 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.*