# Nicole vs Hakuoki

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hakuoki at every 6 months against Nicole's every 20 months. Hakuoki also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nicole sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Hakuoki sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Nicole against 4.3 for Hakuoki. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 108 and 72 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Nicole's written reviews are positive against 66% of Hakuoki's.

Nicole ships an update every 20 months, Hakuoki every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nicole | Hakuoki |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (108 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nicole/id794491905/reviews) | **[4.3 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hakuoki/id945670638/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **108** | 72 |
| Positive reviews | 61.3% of reviews | **65.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 118 MB | 670 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Celso Riva](https://appshunter.io/developer/331419396) | [IDEA FACTORY CO., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/330282531) |

## 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


### Hakuoki

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hakuoki/id945670638)

Experience the origin story of a popular otome game series, set in the chaotic Edo period. Follow a young woman's journey as she becomes entangled with the Shinsengumi and uncovers their dark secrets. Fully voiced in Japanese with beautiful illustrations.

**Highlights:** Fully voiced Japanese audio, Beautiful illustrations, Origin story of a popular series, Additional 'Tea ceremony event' scenario, Historical Edo period setting

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Common Route Chapter 1 | $3.79 | one-time |
| Common Route Chapter 2 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Common Route Chapter 3 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Toshizo Hijikata Route Chapter 4 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Toshizo Hijikata Route Chapter 5 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Hajime Saito Route Chapter 4 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Hajime Saito Route Chapter 5 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Souji Okita Route Chapter 4 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Souji Okita Route Chapter 5 | $3.79 | one-time |
| 【HAKUOKI】Chikage Kazama Route Chapter 4 | $3.79 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Well-written story
- 💖 Attractive, mature characters
- 🎤 Amazing voice acting
- 🎨 Beautiful artwork
- 💯 Worth the money (for some)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Pay for chapters
- 💰 Expensive content
- 💳 Can't pay for chapters
- 💸 Paying for every chapter
- 💸 Ridiculous chapter cost

**Reported bugs**

- Purchases not showing up
- App won't load (black screen)
- Game crashes after intro
- Black screen after introduction
- Game crashes

**Requested features**

- Make game available to those who can't pay
- More free chapters
- Consider making more parts free
- Fix the glitch where progress isn't saved
- Make other games localized (SSL)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nicole free?

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

### Is Hakuoki free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nicole or Hakuoki?

Hakuoki is rated higher. Nicole averages 4.2 out of 5 from 108 ratings, while Hakuoki averages 4.3 from 72 ratings.

### Do Nicole or Hakuoki have ads?

Neither Nicole nor Hakuoki shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nicole or Hakuoki?

Nicole ships an update every 20 months, and Hakuoki every 6 months. Most recently, Nicole was updated on October 21, 2026 and Hakuoki 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.*