Compare · BonziBuddy
Desksquattaz vs BonziBuddy. Different animals.
BonziBuddy: The purple gorilla assistant from 1999, now mostly a meme and a warning. Desksquattaz: a deadpan box cat with his own life on your Windows desktop. Here’s an honest look at both.
- Made by
- Bonzi Software, released 1999
- Status
- Discontinued in the mid-2000s
- Reputation
- Widely criticized for bundling adware
- Vibe
- A talking desktop assistant that told jokes and sang songs
Where BonziBuddy wins
- Nostalgia. A lot of people met their first desktop companion this way.
- It talked, out loud, in 1999, which was genuinely wild.
Where Toastah is different
- He has his own computer full of games, and he plays some of them with you.
- No ads, no bundled software, and it never reads your screen or the inside of your apps.
- The free cat reads nothing about you at all. Memory on Cat Plan stays on your PC.
- Toastah is not an assistant. He does not want to help you. He wants you to stop moving his icons.
- It’s a real, actively developed app with a clear privacy policy and a support email.
| Side by side | BonziBuddy | Desksquattaz |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in games | Not listed | 12 (5 free) |
| Co-op games with you | Not listed | Yes: 5 local co-op games |
| Tamagotchi-style care | Not listed | Real-folder bowl and litter, kibble bank and shop, streaks, achievements. Never dies. |
| Still available and updated | — No | ✓ Yes |
| Ads or bundled software | Widely reported | None |
| Reads your screen or documents | — | Never |
| Talks back and remembers you | Scripted | With Cat Plan |
| Own daily schedule: naps, work, trips | — No | ✓ Yes |
| Uses real files: stash, bowl, litter, souvenirs | — No | ✓ Yes |
| Price | Was free | Free, Cat Plan optional |
| Still being updated | Not listed | 14 builds in the last 30 days |
Pick BonziBuddy if
You want to watch a YouTube video about internet history. (Please don’t install old copies.)
Pick Desksquattaz if
You want a desktop companion that is funny and actually respects your computer.
purple gorilla. no. I am lilac. there is a difference. — Toastah, asked for comment
Last updated: 17 October 2026
Facts about other apps checked October 2026 from their official pages. Something wrong? Tell us at hello@desksquattaz.com.
Try him
Free, and he’ll ignore you. That’s the deal.
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