App comparison
Virtual Pet Widgets for iPhone: Apps That Keep a Pet on Your Screen
Compare Pixel Pals, Mochi Pets, Pixel Pets, Widgetable and Aquarium Widgets, and choose a pet for your Home Screen, Lock Screen or Dynamic Island.
A virtual pet widget keeps a small animal on your Home Screen or Lock Screen that you feed and check on during the day, much like a digital pet toy. Pixel Pals and Mochi Pets are pixel-art pets, Pixel Pets also appears in the Dynamic Island, Widgetable lets you raise a pet with a friend, and Aquarium Widgets, our app, gives you a tank of fish to look after.
Pet widget apps compared
Details come from each app’s App Store listing.
| App | Your pet | Where it shows | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel Pals ↗ | Pixel-art animals; dog and cat included, more with Premium | Home Screen, Lock Screen, Live Activities | iOS 18.3 or later |
| Mochi Pets ↗ | 11 pixel-art animals you feed, pet and clean | Home Screen | iOS 17 or later |
| Pixel Pets ↗ | Animals that need food and exercise | Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, transparent widgets | iOS 16 or later |
| Widgetable ↗ | Pets you raise together with friends | Home Screen and Lock Screen | iOS 16 or later |
| Aquarium Widgets ↗ | Aquariums with fish you feed and keep clean | Home Screen | iOS 17 or later |
Every app here is free to download, and most sell upgrades. Read each listing before you adopt, because the pet you like may be part of the paid version.
Which one fits you
- A pet you see every time you unlock: Pixel Pals or Pixel Pets, since both list Lock Screen widgets.
- A pet with daily care and mini-games: Mochi Pets describes feeding, petting, cleaning and mini-games that earn coins for treats.
- A pet shared with a partner or friend: Widgetable lets you co-parent a pet and also has widgets for mood, sleep and distance.
- A calmer pet to watch: fish in an aquarium move slowly and fill a larger widget, which suits a quiet Home Screen.
Fish as a Home Screen pet
In Aquarium Widgets you build aquariums, add fish from themed packs and keep them happy by feeding and cleaning. Completing objectives levels you up and unlocks more fish and options. The widget shows the tank’s current state, and you can add a clock or a month calendar behind the fish so the pet also tells you the time. On iOS 27 an extra-large tank has room for up to 12 fish.
The app is free to download, but placing an aquarium on the Home Screen requires the premium upgrade, available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. It has no Lock Screen widget, so choose one of the pixel pets if you want your pet there.
Home Screen or Lock Screen
Lock Screen widgets are small and drawn in a single tone, as Apple’s widget design guidelines ↗ explain, so a pet there is a tiny icon. A Home Screen widget can be large and in full color. Our Lock Screen widget guide shows how to add one, and the aquarium widget comparison lists more fish tank apps.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a virtual pet on my iPhone Home Screen?
Install a pet widget app such as Pixel Pals or Mochi Pets, set up your pet in the app, then add its widget from the Home Screen widget gallery.
Can I have a pet on the Lock Screen?
Yes, with an app that offers Lock Screen widgets. Pixel Pals, Pixel Pets and Widgetable list Lock Screen support.
Is there a Tamagotchi-style widget for iPhone?
Apps like Mochi Pets and Pixel Pets work in a similar way: you feed and look after a small pet that lives in a widget.
Can I share a virtual pet with a friend?
Widgetable lets you raise a pet together with friends and see it in widgets on both phones.