Squishpets
Shimeji alternatives for Chrome that still work in 2026
If you want a Shimeji-style character in Chrome today, you have three kinds of choice: the original Shimeji Browser Extension (big character library, last updated January 2024, needs Google sign-in), newer screen-pet extensions with feeding and timers, and page-aware pets like Squishpets that react to the actual page you are reading.
Why people go looking for a Shimeji alternative
Shimeji started as a desktop toy: little characters that walk along the edges of your screen, climb windows and drag them around. The Chrome version brought that idea into the browser and reached a million users. It still works, but its last Chrome Web Store update was in January 2024, it asks you to sign in with Google, and most of its characters are fan-made sprites of existing anime and game characters.
So the usual reasons people search for an alternative are simple: something maintained, something that doesn't need an account, and characters that are made for the extension rather than borrowed.
The options, side by side
| Extension | Users | Last updated | Account | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shimeji Browser Extension | 1,000,000 | January 2024 | Google sign-in | A huge library of fan characters |
| Shimeji World | 5,000 | April 2026 | None | Anime and gaming shimejis, new ones weekly |
| Meow, The Cat Pet | 100,000 | March 2026 | None | A cat with hunger bars, coins and mini-games |
| PetPat | 10,000 | August 2026 | None | A screen pet with a focus timer |
| Squishpets | New | October 2026 | None | Pets that read the page: eat ads, steal headlines, nap on articles |
User counts and dates from each extension’s Chrome Web Store page on 8 October 2026.
Get a pet on your pagesTwo pets free, 25 more from $1. No account, no tracking.
Add to Chrome, it’s freeWhat makes a browser pet feel alive
Most screen pets loop a walk animation along the bottom of the window. That gets old in a day. The pets people keep installed do three things better:
- They notice the page. A pet that climbs the picture you are looking at, or curls up on a long article, feels like it shares the page with you.
- They react to you. Picking it up, throwing it, petting it, tossing it a treat. Each of those should get a different reaction.
- They grow. Levels, tricks and small unlocks give you a reason to bring the pet back tomorrow.
Where Squishpets fits
Squishpets is the page-aware option. Its pets know the header from the sidebar from the paragraph you are reading. They eat ads and cookie banners bite by bite (everything comes back when you send them home), steal a headline and run laps with it, nap on long reads and play-fight when you bring friends along.
There are 27 original characters, painted in a 3D animated-film style: puppies, kittens, a lion cub, a little ghost and more. Mochi the bunny and Waffles the corgi are free with every feature. The others cost $1 to $4 once. No account, no tracking.
If you liked Shimeji because your desktop felt less empty, a pet that reacts to the page will feel familiar, with the bonus that it never touches your files or other apps.
Can you still use Shimeji on the desktop?
Yes. Shimeji-ee still runs on Windows with Java, and there are open-source desktop ports for Mac and Linux. They live outside the browser, so they climb your windows instead of web pages. We compare the two approaches in desktop pet vs browser pet.
Questions people ask
Is the Shimeji Chrome extension still updated?
Its last Chrome Web Store update was in January 2024. It still installs and runs, but new Chrome changes can break unmaintained extensions.
Is there a Shimeji alternative that needs no sign-in?
Yes. Shimeji World, Meow, PetPat and Squishpets all work without an account.
Are Shimeji characters free?
Most Shimeji characters are free fan-made sprites. Squishpets has two free pets and 25 more for $1 to $4 each, paid once.
Get a pet on your pagesTwo pets free, 25 more from $1. No account, no tracking.
Add to Chrome, it’s free
