Dev log · 14 October 2026 · version 2026.10.1

EcoJar is now free, and The Planted Jar is out

EcoJar launched in September as a paid download. Almost nobody bought it, and the price was the most likely reason, so on 14 October it became free on both the App Store and Google Play.

Everything that was in the paid version is still in the free one: the sealed jar, the day and night cycle, algae, grass, daphnia, fish, the oxygen chart. Nothing was moved behind a paywall.

What is new is an optional one-time pack called The Planted Jar. It adds five species: duckweed that floats and shades the water, moss balls, hornwort, snails that graze the glass, and a crayfish, the first real predator in the game. There is no subscription and no ads.

One rule we set for ourselves: a pack can add new things to do, but it must never sell the cure for a problem the free game creates. The crayfish was first designed as a way to keep snail numbers down. Before release we decided that was exactly the wrong kind of selling point. It is in the pack because it is interesting to watch, not because your jar needs it.

The same update also brought the stamp-style share card, a materials panel that no longer covers the jar while you draw, and a Buy button that stays pinned to the bottom of the pack page.

EcoJar is free on the App Store and Google Play, or you can play it in your browser.