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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Family Life! vs The Sims™ FreePlay

Family Life! 4.4★ · Free + IAP 55
Winner The Sims™ FreePlay
The Sims™ FreePlay 4.6★ · Free + IAP 75

For a more polished and less ad-intrusive life simulation experience, The Sims™ FreePlay is the better choice, despite its own issues with slow progression and in-app purchases.

Full reviews: Family Life! · The Sims™ FreePlay

Family Life! offers a family tree simulation but is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of long ads and a high price to remove them, along with bugs and a lack of updates. The Sims™ FreePlay, while also having in-app purchases and slow progression, provides a more established and generally ad-free experience with deeper customization, though it suffers from occasional glitches and lengthy task times.

Head to head

Features & Gameplay edge: The Sims™ FreePlayR1R2R4R5
Family Life! Family Life! allows users to create a family tree and manage family life, with some finding it realistic and fun R2. However, recent updates have removed the ability to customize individual choices for twins or triplets R5. Users also report issues with characters not going to school or working R5R31, a lack of diverse housing options , and a desire for more LGBTQ+ representation . Some feel the game is boring and not like the ads R1R4.
The Sims™ FreePlay The Sims™ FreePlay offers extensive character and house building options, with many users enjoying the creative freedom . Players appreciate the ability to have children R107 and manage family life . However, some desire more realistic features like different body types, deeper emotions, and unique personalities . Users also wish for more free customization options and the ability to zoom in normally . Some find the initial setup restrictive and that the game doesn't allow certain things compared to the main Sims games R69R73R109R120.
Ease of Use & Progression edge: The Sims™ FreePlayR3R8R10R13
Family Life! Family Life! is described as easy to play , but progression is severely hampered by an excessive number of ads R3R8R10R13. Many critical choices require watching an ad R10. Users report ads appearing every few minutes or even every two seconds R8R28.
The Sims™ FreePlay The Sims™ FreePlay's progression is often criticized for being too slow, with tasks taking hours or even days to complete R109. Users find it frustrating to wait for building supplies and feel the game forces them to spend money to speed things up . Some users also report issues with not being able to load saved games after updates R67 or the game crashing during challenges, leading to lost progress .
Reliability & Performance tieR5R15R21R26
Family Life! Family Life! has numerous reports of bugs and glitches, including characters not dying when they should R26, kids not going to school R5R31, the game not opening or starting R21, and purchases not being restored R15. Some users also mention spelling errors .
The Sims™ FreePlay The Sims™ FreePlay also faces reliability issues, with users reporting the game crashing during challenges and losing progress . Updates frequently fail to download R64, and some users cannot load their saved games after updates R67. Specific bugs include items not returning to inventory R67 and the party boat not working .
Price & Value edge: The Sims™ FreePlayR3R9R10R16
Family Life! Family Life! is free to download but heavily relies on in-app purchases, particularly for ad removal. The price to remove ads is consistently cited as exorbitant at $30 R3R16R20R28. Users feel the game is "pay to play" R10 and "money hungry" R9, with some stating they would pay a more reasonable price like $5 or $15 R3.
The Sims™ FreePlay The Sims™ FreePlay is also free to download with in-app purchases. While it generally has no ads R92R107, users feel pressured to spend real money to progress or unlock customizations R64. Many find the cost of in-game items, like houses or aging children, to be expensive . Some users have spent significant money on the game only to encounter glitches or lost progress .
Support & Updates tieR7R42R64R67
Family Life! Family Life! users express concern about the game being abandoned, with one user feeling taken advantage of after paying for it R7. Reviewers note that recent "updates" are primarily bug fixes, with no substantive new content for over a year, suggesting the game is on the "back burner" R42.
The Sims™ FreePlay The Sims™ FreePlay receives frequent updates, but users are often dissatisfied, calling them "useless" and sometimes making the game worse . Updates have also been linked to game-breaking bugs, such as saved games not loading R67 and the game crashing . Users report issues with updates not downloading R64 and difficulty getting real help from support .
Pick Family Life! if

you are looking for a simple family tree simulation and are willing to tolerate a very high number of ads or pay a significant amount to remove them R2.

Pick The Sims™ FreePlay if

you prefer a more in-depth life simulation with extensive customization for characters and houses, and you are patient with slow progression and in-game purchases, as it offers a generally ad-free experience R92.

Evidence note: Family Life! has a significant number of recent negative reviews primarily focused on the overwhelming ad frequency and the high cost to remove them, which heavily skews its perceived value compared to its lifetime rating. The Sims™ FreePlay, despite its higher lifetime rating and larger user base, still has a notable number of recent complaints about slow progression, glitches, and the pressure to make in-app purchases.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to remove ads in Family Life!?
It costs $30 to remove ads in Family Life!, which many users consider to be an outrageous and excessive price for a mobile game R3R16R20R28.
Does The Sims™ FreePlay have ads?
The Sims™ FreePlay generally does not have ads, allowing users to play without distractions R92R107.
Are there bugs in Family Life!?
Yes, users report several bugs in Family Life!, including characters not dying, kids not being able to go to school, and the game failing to open or glitching R5R21R26R31.
Is The Sims™ FreePlay like The Sims 4?
No, many users feel The Sims™ FreePlay is not like The Sims 4, citing limited customization, money, and the inability to use mods, wishing for a mobile version of Sims 4 instead R69R73R109R120.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Family Life! 1/5 · US No: The game is nothing like it looked liked it’s so boring,
  2. [R2] Family Life! 5/5 · US Love it!: I think it’s really good cause it expresses you before you can become a mom or a dad and I think it’s really realistic and I think it’s really fun and you do get to create your own family tree so you can see long and long and long long or long so I think it’s a really good game really recommended love it
  3. [R4] Family Life! 1/5 · US So of a bad game don’t get it: This game is terrible I don’t kniw if they update it but it is not fun
  4. [R5] Family Life! 4/5 · US Good but needs fixing: I’ve played this game a lot and it’s honestly really fun. However I noticed they change how it works with twins or triplets. You can no longer choose majors or anything for them specifically. They all have to do the same major, same club, and it really messes with the gameplay. Also there is this game stopping bug where some of your kids stop actually doing anything? They do
  5. [R3] Family Life! 3/5 · US This game is amazing: I am addicted to this game. But the ads are over the top, I would pay for them to be gone. But $30 is WAYYYY too much. If it was $5 that is way more reasonable or even just a tad bit higher. I would rate more of a 3.5/5. I play this everyday. I just dislike the constant ads and I will not pay $30 to remove them.
  6. [R8] Family Life! 4/5 · US Ads: good game but gives you a ad every 2 seconds
  7. [R10] Family Life! 1/5 · US Pay to play: To do anything need to watch a ad
  8. [R13] Family Life! 1/5 · US Predatory Ads: Disgusting amount of ads with an unreasonable purchase price.
  9. [R15] Family Life! 3/5 · US Can I have my purchases back?: Some of them I got back, but I’m missing the career mastery perk.
  10. [R21] Family Life! 3/5 · US It doesn’t not open: I like this game from time to time but recently it doesn’t open or start the game for me so sad
  11. [R26] Family Life! 5/5 · US Problem with aging: Love the game but have a problem when someone die it keeps them alive
  12. [R9] Family Life! 3/5 · US It’s okay…: It’s a very decently fun game. They are just to money hungry! They don’t have 2 to 3 packs. You must pay for everything and there are adds every 60 minutes
  13. [R16] Family Life! 1/5 · US Game is fine: But $30 to remove ads on a mobile game like this is WILD
  14. [R7] Family Life! 1/5 · US abandoned?: i paid yall a LOT of money for this game just for yall to abandon it a year later. i don’t appreciate it and i feel taken advantage of.
  15. [R42] Family Life! 3/5 · US Game with potential but with no leads: The game itself is a great concept. I don’t mind spending for more content, but I’m only hesitant to because it seems like the devs are juggling too many other titles along with those updates, that it seems they are putting this one in the back burner. I mean, just look at the list of “updates” for this game, which are all bug fixes only. There haven’t been a
  16. [R64] The Sims™ FreePlay 1/5 · US Not what Sims is about: The game will require to setup neighbors and if you don’t have social media you won’t be able to pass that quest and then there is no storyline. They essentially force you to connect your accounts to keep playing. That’s the first red flag. Updates would never download on WiFi or cellular. I restarted, tried other games, and it still wouldn’t download. Also it tries to make
  17. [R67] The Sims™ FreePlay 1/5 · US Cannot Resume Game: I have been playing for a year and a few weeks ago I got the Living Teddy from the market, but it has a bug that does not allow you to return it to inventory. Support apparently fixed it, but I could only return it to inventory once and, then, it bugged again. So, I decided to save game and delete and reinstall. Now, I cannot load my saved game; I get up to 100% / 99% downloade
  18. [R20] Family Life! 4/5 · US $30 for ad free is nuts: Id give this game 5 stars, but the fact that they’re charging $30 to go without ads insane. It’s a fun game though
  19. [R28] Family Life! 2/5 · US Too many ads: Cute game but too many ads making it unplayable also to get rid of ads is 30 dollars so
  20. [R92] The Sims™ FreePlay 5/5 · US I love this game so much: I love this game so much and, there is no ads so I can just relax and just play the game without having any distractions or ads this is why I love and rate this game 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️So I urge you to download and play this game, it is just so fun and amazing and awesome 🤩. Thank me later
  21. [R107] The Sims™ FreePlay 5/5 · US Soooooo fun: It’s the best time in the whole entire world for everyone and they have no ads but you get to choose if you want ads it’s so fun and also you get to have children in the game
  22. [R31] Family Life! 2/5 · US Please read: For some reason all the it’s either the kids that are getting adopted or jsut the girls but it doesn’t give them the option to start school when they turn 6 so only my son is able to get an education
  23. [R69] The Sims™ FreePlay 3/5 · US Just a little: Maybe it is a little like the normal sims, but it doesn’t let you do Certain things and so 3 star review!
  24. [R73] The Sims™ FreePlay 1/5 · US If you guys made sims 4: Can u add it on mobile and tablet? I don’t like freePlay.
  25. [R109] The Sims™ FreePlay 1/5 · US Yikes: This game is so slow and everything takes literally forever. It’s also nothing like the actual sims game
  26. [R120] The Sims™ FreePlay 3/5 · US PLEASE MAKE THIS GAME LIKE SIMS 4: you have limited money, you can’t create your home to the fullest extent of your creativity because everything is so limited and no mods :(

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store