metaCat vs Joy for All Pup
Two lap pets bought for the same reason, usually for a parent or a grandparent. One purrs and recharges, the other barks and eats batteries.
Joy for All Companion Pet Pup
Ageless Innovation
The most-bought robot pet in the world is not smart at all: a puppy with a heartbeat, made for grandparents.
$179.99
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Which one to buy
Choose metaCat if
you want a cat that purrs against your hands, blinks, and answers to about twenty spoken commands, charged over USB-C.
Choose Joy for All Companion Pet Pup if
you want the one that care homes have used since 2016: a heartbeat you can feel, no setup, no network, nothing to learn.
Neither walks. The Pup is the heavier of the two at 1.8 kg, which is part of why it sits so well on a lap, and it runs on four C batteries you replace rather than charge. It was also out of stock at Ageless Innovation when we last checked. metaCat ships from China in roughly one to three weeks and any customs charge is yours.
Side by side
| Field | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159 | $179.99 |
| Status | Buy now | Waitlist |
| Age | No rating | 5+ |
| Kind | Plush pet | Plush pet |
| Talks | Voice commands | Sounds only |
| Connection | Works offline | Works offline |
| Phone required | No | No |
| Subscription | None | None |
| Moves | Stays put | Stays put |
| Face screen | No | No |
| Touch sensors | Yes | Yes |
| Coding | No | No |
| Noise | Quiet | Quiet |
| Battery | Not published | Not published |
| Size | 20 to 40 cm, pet shape | 22.9 x 11.1 x 21.3 cm |
| Weight | Not published | 1.8 kg |
| Ships to | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, EU, Australia, Japan | United States |
| Best for | For grandparents, For yourself | For grandparents |
Prices in US dollars from the makers' own stores. A blank means the maker publishes no figure and we did not invent one.
What each one is good at, and what it is not
metaCat
- Purrs with vibration you can feel
- Moving, blinking eyes
- Three touch sensors (head, chin, back)
- Does not walk
- Ships from China, customs on the buyer
- Maker's main business is robot arms, support is not Casio-grade
Joy for All Companion Pet Pup
- Barks back when you talk, turns its head
- Heartbeat you can feel, blinking eyes, wagging tail
- No app, no Wi-Fi, batteries and go
- No AI, no learning
- Does not walk
- Ageless Innovation ships to the United States only
Add a third robot
Robooshies lines up three at a time. Pick one more and all three open in the full comparison.
Open metaCat and Joy for All Companion Pet Pup in the full picker and change either of them there.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, metaCat or Joy for All Companion Pet Pup?
metaCat, at $159 against $179.99 for Joy for All Companion Pet Pup, both taken from the makers' own stores. Regions and sales move these figures.
Do metaCat and Joy for All Companion Pet Pup need Wi-Fi?
metaCat: Works offline. Joy for All Companion Pet Pup: Works offline.
Is there a subscription for metaCat or Joy for All Companion Pet Pup?
Neither one requires a subscription. You pay once.
Which one suits a child better, metaCat or Joy for All Companion Pet Pup?
Joy for All Companion Pet Pup is rated from 5 and up. metaCat carries no age rating from its maker, which makes it an adult purchase a child can share.
Where do metaCat and Joy for All Companion Pet Pup ship?
metaCat to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, EU, Australia and Japan. Joy for All Companion Pet Pup to United States.