Comparison

Cooped Up vs Nekosan

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

Head to head
About

Cooped Up

Navigate a vibrant sanctuary as a new exotic bird, flinging yourself upwards while avoiding obstacles and other quirky birds. Snack on tasty insects along the way and use boosts to ascend further. Compete with friends via Game Center.

Highlights
  • Intuitive twanging fling gameplay
  • Simple pick up and play
  • Game Centre support
  • Collect and eat insects
  • In-game boosts
Features
Read full description

You are the latest addition in the exotic bird sanctuary. The other older birds have been Cooped Up a little too long and are a branch short of a perch! Ahhemmm... they is a bit crazy! Fling yourself up up and away but watch out, there's more than just birds that you must avoid. However don't be afraid to snack on the way... ...and don't let the other birds laughing at you get you down! Pick yourself up and twang twang twang again! Features: - Intuitive twanging fling gameplay. - Simple pick up and play for all! - Full game centre support to compete with friends and foes - Eat worms, spiders and flies! Hmmm yummy!!! - Boost you way up like a steam train! Important information This game contains third party advertising which can be removed via a one time IAP. This game contains coins which can be collected within the game for free, bought with real money or via earned via promotions. This game contains cross promotion for other Nitrome games and this is not removed with the IAP for removal of ads.

About

Nekosan

Guide a cat through challenging dungeons to retrieve stolen stars. Utilize one-finger controls for running, sliding, wall jumping, and flying across numerous levels. Embark on an adventure to reclaim what the mice have taken.

Highlights
  • Run, slide, wall jump, and fly mechanics
  • Dozens of challenging levels
  • One-finger control gameplay
  • Retrieve stolen stars
  • Infiltrate mouse dungeons
Features
Read full description

Oh no… The mice stole all the stars :’( Only a cat can infiltrate their dungeons to get them back! Help Nekosan and his friends to run, slide, wall jump, and fly through dozens of devilish levels. And all of this with one finger! Are you up to the challenge? :3

Screenshots

Cooped Up4 screens
Nekosan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nekosan at every 2 months against Cooped Up's every 17 months. Nekosan also leads on ratings volume (872 vs 84) and review sentiment (83% vs 71%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Cooped Up sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nekosan sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nekosan holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nekosan has 872 ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Cooped Up's written reviews are positive against 83% of Nekosan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cooped Up ships an update every 17 months, Nekosan every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cooped Up versus Nekosan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCooped UpNekosan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (84 ratings)4.6 (872 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews82.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings84872 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB79 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNitrome1Button SARL

Customer experience

Cooped Up

All ratings85 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews198 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral8.1%
Negative21.2%

Nekosan

All ratings869 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews873 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative10.9%

User reviews

Cooped Up

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Highly addictive gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Charming and unique pixel art style
  • 😄 Quirky humor and entertaining animations
  • 🎵 Catchy banjo music and sound design
  • ⚡ Fast-paced and responsive controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 🐛 Screen flickering after watching ads
  • 🐛 Game incompatibility with iPad
  • 🐛 Upside-down screen glitches
  • 📺 Excessive and repetitive ads

Nekosan

From 872 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😻 Cute and adorable cat character
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive one-tap controls
  • 🕹️ Challenging and addictive gameplay
  • 🎨 Visually pleasing minimalist design

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Unclear controls and lack of tutorial
  • 💰 Frequent ads and intrusive monetization
  • 🤯 Extremely difficult and frustrating levels
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues after updates

Bugs and requests

Cooped Up

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Game crashes on launch or during gameplay
  • Screen flickering and glitching after ads
  • Upside-down screen display
  • Phone freezing or requiring restart
  • Jump mechanics not responding
Show 8 more
  • Achievement notifications not displaying
  • Trophy/score button unresponsive
  • Invincibility frames missing after bug collection
  • Screen rotation causing control issues
  • Frame rate drops during star animations
  • Black screen on startup
  • Incompatibility with iPad devices
  • Pixelated app icon on iPhone 6

Requested features

12 requests
  • Unlockable characters and skins
  • New maps and backgrounds
  • Additional enemy types and difficulty levels
  • In-game currency and upgrade system
  • Customizable bird options
Show 7 more
  • Story mode or narrative elements
  • Different game modes (rush mode, challenge mode)
  • Tutorial for new players
  • Leaderboard functionality improvements
  • Power-ups and special abilities
  • Bird care mechanics (feeding, washing, growing)
  • Mute settings that persist between sessions

Nekosan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes on launch after recent update
  • Inability to exit video ads without watching them
  • Progress not saved after exiting the game

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Better tutorial and control explanation
  • Option to remove ads for a one-time fee
  • Restart button for quick retries

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cooped Up

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
5 purchases

Nekosan

One-time5
  • Pack of 9 Lives$0.99
  • Key$0.99
  • Maurice$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Skip a Stage$0.99
  • Remove All Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Cooped Up free?
Cooped Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nekosan free?
Nekosan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cooped Up or Nekosan?
Nekosan is rated higher. Cooped Up averages 4.5 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Nekosan averages 4.6 from 872 ratings.
Do Cooped Up or Nekosan have ads?
Both Cooped Up and Nekosan show ads.
Which is updated more often, Cooped Up or Nekosan?
Cooped Up ships an update every 17 months, and Nekosan every 2 months. Most recently, Cooped Up was updated on October 21, 2026 and Nekosan on October 22, 2026.

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