Comparison

Splash vs Reef Bloom

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

Head to head
About

Splash

Care for a vibrant ocean reef and collect hundreds of sea creatures. Discover new species, learn facts about marine life, and decorate your sanctuary. Participate in special events and connect with friends to build thriving underwater worlds.

Highlights
  • Collect and care for sea creatures
  • Learn marine life facts
  • Decorate your reef
  • Discover new species
  • Participate in special events
  • Connect with friends
Features
Read full description

Become the caretaker of a vibrant ocean reef! Collect and care for hundreds of lovable sea creatures in this relaxing game. Dive into a peaceful underwater world where every new discovery brings your reef to life. Meet an incredible variety of real-world marine species, beautifully designed to reflect how they look and behave in nature, and enjoy learning delightful facts about each new friend you welcome. A friendly turtle will be your guide as you hatch new species and nurture them to adulthood. Once they are fully grown, you'll release them to help restore balance to the wider ocean. Along the way, decorate your reef with vibrant coral and charming décor to create your own cozy sanctuary! GAME HIGHLIGHTS: * Relaxing Gameplay: Immerse yourself in a serene, visually stunning underwater world, teeming with life. * Hundreds of Ocean Species: Collect and nurture spectacular marine life, from vibrant angelfish and ethereal seadragons to majestic sharks, alongside other stunning species. * Decorate: Adorn your reef with a diverse array of beautiful coral and decorations that produce coins to help you grow your sanctuary. * Learn as You Play: Document your discoveries and learn fascinating real-world facts about every species in the Aquapedia. * Special Events: Join limited-time events to discover new species and exclusive decorations. There's always something new to collect! * Connect with Friends: Exchange gifts and help each other build thriving sanctuaries. If you love fish, collection, and calming, nature-inspired games, prepare to be captivated by the wonders of Splash. Splash is developed and published by Runaway. This game is free to play but does contain in-app purchases. If you run into any issues while playing or you have any suggestions, please reach out to us at support@runaway.zendesk.com

About

Reef Bloom

Cultivate a vibrant underwater ecosystem by planting coral and nurturing diverse fish species. Explore three distinct biomes, learn about marine life, and enjoy a relaxing, progression-based experience with no failure states or timers.

Highlights
  • Grow and expand coral colonies
  • Hatch and observe diverse fish species
  • Explore three unique biomes
  • Learn about marine life with Ocean Journal
  • No failure state or timers
  • Day and night cycle with growing reef
  • Seasonal events and daily rewards
Features
Read full description

Reef Bloom is a calm reef-building game where you grow your own coral reef in 3D. Place coral, hatch fish, and watch an underwater world come alive, day and night, across three biomes. There is no failure state and no timer. You are a steward, not a controller: plant coral, let it grow, and let the fish find their own way. GROW A LIVING REEF - Plant coral and watch it grow from hatchling to full colony - Coral generates Bubble Energy, the currency that powers everything - Fish hatch from eggs at Bubbles' Fish Nest and swim freely through your reef - Skip-7's Pearl Market: a walk-in shop for the rarest specimens, sold exactly as shown THREE BIOMES - Coral Reef: the classic shallows - Seagrass Basin: grazers, rays, and turtles - Deep Twilight: bioluminescent creatures that glow after dark LEARN AS YOU PLAY - 160+ species, each with an Ocean Journal entry: scientific name, real-ocean facts, and habitat - Real species are marked, and so are the Reef Bloom originals. Can you tell which is which? Take the Field ID quiz - Tap any fish to find out what it is PACKS AND PROGRESS - Every level-up earns a free Rarity Pack: riches, a free coral, and a guaranteed fish - Every pack's odds are published in plain numbers. Mythic packs are never sold; they are earned - A free Daily Pack, research surveys, and achievements - Seasonal events all year: quests earn Event Tokens that buy each event's exclusive species - Bioluminescence Night: two winter months when the reef lights itself after dark CALM BY DESIGN - Day and night cycle; harmony rises with diversity - Play for a minute or an hour; your reef keeps growing while you are away - Three save slots - Free, optional account to carry your reefs between devices; no account needed to play Reef Bloom is free to play. Pearls, the premium currency, can be earned in play or purchased.

Screenshots

Splash4 screens
Reef Bloom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Reef Bloom at none against Splash's shown. Reef Bloom also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). Splash's advantage is ratings volume (6.4K vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Splash sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Reef Bloom sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Reef Bloom holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Splash has 6.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Splash's written reviews are positive against 100% of Reef Bloom's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, Reef Bloom every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Splash versus Reef Bloom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplashReef Bloom
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.4K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.4K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size597 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRunawayDefenestration Technologies LLC

Customer experience

Splash

All ratings6,345 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews653 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral9.5%
Negative12.3%

Reef Bloom

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Splash

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and inability to access account
  • Glitches with video ads and rewards
  • Missions/tasks disappearing
  • Clam/shell rewards not triggering properly

Requested features

7 requests
  • Voice narration for non-readers
  • Ability to view released fish in the ocean
  • More frequent events and new fish additions
  • Ability to call the turtle when needed
  • Option to hide disruptive characters
Show 2 more
  • Conversion of coins to Splashcash
  • Hire voice actors for characters

Reef Bloom

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Splash

One-time10
  • 50 Splashcash$1.99
  • Event Pack 003$1.99
  • Cuttlefish Rehire$3.99
Show 7 more
  • 130 Splashcash$4.99
  • Max Coral Pack$4.99
  • Mini Event Pack 01$4.99
  • Cuttlefish Character$4.99
  • 275 Splashcash$9.99
  • Event Pack 001$9.99
  • 700 Splashcash$24.99
3 purchases

Reef Bloom

One-time3
  • 10 Pearls$0.99
  • 35 Pearls$2.99
  • 60 Pearls$4.99

Questions

Is Splash free?
Splash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reef Bloom free?
Reef Bloom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Splash or Reef Bloom?
Reef Bloom is rated higher. Splash averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.4K ratings, while Reef Bloom averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Splash or Reef Bloom have ads?
Splash shows ads; Reef Bloom does not.
Which is updated more often, Splash or Reef Bloom?
Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, and Reef Bloom every 6 days. Most recently, Splash was updated on November 7, 2026 and Reef Bloom on October 31, 2026.

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