Comparison

Sensory Sand vs subpar pool

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sensory Sand

Experience a calming sensory escape with falling sand that reacts to your touch. Guide streams with gravity and physics, using multi-touch to create mesmerizing patterns. It's a peaceful, pocket-sized creative outlet for all ages.

Highlights
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Multi-touch controls
  • Interactive sand streams
  • Obstacle manipulation
  • Calming pattern creation
  • Pocket-sized escape
Features
Read full description

Unwind with a relaxing zen sensory experience where streams of falling sand respond to your touch, guided by gravity and realistic physics. Use multi-touch controls to drop multiple streams at once, then move obstacles to shape the flow into calming, mesmerizing patterns. This zen sand game offers a soothing way to stay quietly engaged during meetings, church, school concerts, or downtime at home. It is a peaceful and creative escape that fits right in your pocket.

About

subpar pool

Engage in a unique pocket billiards experience across procedurally generated levels. Strategize your shots, adapt to unpredictable physics, and customize challenges with a deck of cards for endless replayability. Immerse yourself in a vibrant world with a charming art style and a relaxing soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated levels
  • Card-based challenge customization
  • Four distinct worlds
  • Thousands of gameplay combinations
  • Bite-sized play sessions
  • One-handed play
Features
Currently charting
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Dive into each procedurally generated level, consisting of a series of tables filled with balls you must pocket within a set number of shots. Escape into the fantastically vibrant world, while strategizing the best plan to pocket your balls. Watch your plan inevitably combust as you adapt your next move to skillfully take home the win. Progress in the game and create your course choosing cards from a deck to tailor the challenges to your desired game experience and playstyle. Want to feel stressed to the max? Take part in the Fast Run, which limits the time you have to aim. Want a level with portals? Subpar Pool has you covered. Or want to see what happens when you play Subpar Pool with glass balls as they roll and collide? There’s thousands of ways to combine the dynamic cards to create a unique playthrough experience, every time. Immerse yourself in the charming, lively world of Subpar Pool while you find out if you can master the unpredictability of ever-changing balls colliding in this satisfying and mesmerizing mashup experience. Features: • Four different worlds, each with its own set of constraints and challenges • Procedurally generated tables and 18 different cards with more than 14,000 ways to combine for an always fresh gameplay experience • A compact game experience designed for bite-sized play sessions (or longer if you prefer!) • A stunning, vibrant french-inspired art style that transports you into the enchanting world • Plays comfortably with one hand • A soothing, mini-golf funk soundtrack to get you in the spirited mood • Created by grapefrukt games, the dev behind beloved and acclaimed games holedown, twofold inc & rymdkapsel

Screenshots

Sensory Sand3 screens
subpar pool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: subpar pool at 4.6 against Sensory Sand's 2.5. subpar pool also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (38 vs 2). Sensory Sand's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Sensory Sand costs $3.99 and subpar pool $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

subpar pool holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: subpar pool has 38 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Sensory Sand's written reviews are positive against 78% of subpar pool's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sensory Sand ships an update every 12 months, subpar pool every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Sensory Sand versus subpar pool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSensory Sandsubpar pool
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)4.6 (38 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings238 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony Tietjenwebbfarbror AB

Customer experience

Sensory Sand

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

subpar pool

All ratings39 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative13.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sensory Sand

No in-app purchases

None

subpar pool

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sensory Sand free?
Sensory Sand costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is subpar pool free?
subpar pool costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sensory Sand or subpar pool?
subpar pool is rated higher. Sensory Sand averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while subpar pool averages 4.6 from 38 ratings.
Do Sensory Sand or subpar pool have ads?
Neither Sensory Sand nor subpar pool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sensory Sand or subpar pool?
Sensory Sand ships an update every 12 months, and subpar pool every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sensory Sand was updated on November 2, 2026 and subpar pool on November 7, 2026.

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