Comparison

Rickface vs Playpen

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

Head to head
About

Rickface

This app provides instant emotional feedback from a virtual character. Simply shake your device to receive an answer to your thoughts or feelings. It's designed to be a constant companion for emotional support.

Highlights
  • Instant emotional feedback
  • Shake-to-answer mechanic
  • Pocket companion
  • Emotional support
  • Simple interface
Features
Read full description

When you just don't know how to feel... now you can ask Rick! Rick always knows how to feel. Just ask him and shake your phone. Rick is a constant pocket companion, no matter what life brings. Just think of something, give a shake... and see how Rick feels about it.

About

Playpen

This app helps parents keep children entertained with pre-approved activities, preventing access to the full device. It allows parents to select specific content like YouTube videos or photo albums, ensuring a safe and engaging experience for kids and peace of mind for adults.

Highlights
  • Curated child-friendly activities
  • Restricted access to device features
  • Pre-approved YouTube videos
  • Access to specific photo albums
  • Interactive animal sounds
  • Apple Watch control
Features
Read full description

An app to help parents keep their kids entertained without allowing them to rifle through their devices. Made by a parent for other parents. By giving kids access to pre-approved activities, Playpen gives parents a well-earned break safe in the knowledge that their little ones are entertained. — WHAT IS PLAYPEN Playpen is an app created by a father who found that simply giving their kid an iPhone locked to an app with Guided Access* wasn't enough. Kids soon get bored of playing the same game or looking at the same photos, and sometimes giving them unfettered access to YouTube isn't something parents want to do. Playpen is the answer. With Playpen, parents can configure which activities they want to allow their kids to access and then enter Guided Access mode. That way, they don't get bored and parents have peace of mind because they know exactly what their child is doing. Activities available to kids via Playpen include being able to take photos, look at photo libraries, watch YouTube videos, and more: - Access to the selfie camera, but not your entire Photo Library - Preconfigured YouTube videos but without access to the wider YouTube library of content - The ability to view specific photo albums without the ability to edit them - Listen to multiple interactive and cute animal sounds Playpen will automatically start an activity whenever Guided Access mode is enabled as well, making it super easy to get up and running when parents need it. Even better, Playpen supports parents' Apple Watches, so they can control the activities that kids are using without having to take the iPhone or iPad away. *Guided Access is an iPhone and iPad feature that locks devices to a single app with a special sequence of button presses and a passcode required to unlock. — WHO IS PLAYPEN FOR? Playpen is for parents of kids who need to be entertained on long car drives, while waiting for a meal in a restaurant, or anywhere else. As parents, we've all been in situations where our kids are bored and need a little extra stimulation and Playpen is an app that offers that in a way that ensures not only are our kids safe, but so are our devices as well. Giving kids access to iPhones and iPads, often that are used for work, can be problematic. That's no longer a concern when using Playpen. People who could benefit from using Playpen include: - Parents stuck in line with a child who is becoming restless - Anyone who's been on a long car journey with a child who keeps asking "are we there yet?" - Parents who would normally give their iPhone to a child to entertain them but worry that they'll go snooping through their work emails - Any parent, with any child, who just needs some peace! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Rickface4 screens
Playpen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rickface at none against Playpen's 3. Playpen's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Playpen sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Rickface asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Rickface against 5.0 for Playpen. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rickface ships an update every 3 weeks, Playpen every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on August 23, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Rickface versus Playpen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRickfacePlaypen
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharlie WilliamsJosh Holtz

Customer experience

Rickface

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Playpen

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Rickface

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Playpen

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Plus Annually3 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Plus Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Rickface free?
Rickface is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Playpen free?
Playpen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rickface or Playpen?
Rickface and Playpen are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Rickface or Playpen have ads?
Neither Rickface nor Playpen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rickface or Playpen?
Rickface ships an update every 3 weeks, and Playpen every 6 days. Most recently, Rickface was updated on August 23, 2026 and Playpen on September 3, 2026.

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