Backyard Apollo AR vs Sandbox Planet
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Backyard Apollo AR
Experience a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket in augmented reality. Explore it from all angles, walk around it, and launch it with realistic sounds and visuals. Customize your rocket experience and share snapshots.
- Life-sized rocket model
- 360-degree viewing
- Augmented reality placement
- Realistic launch sequence
- Authentic mission sounds
- Customizable rocket experience
- Snapshot sharing
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Its the model rocket you’ve always wanted! See a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket up close from every angle walk under and around it, then blast it off! Authentic mission sounds using 3D positional audio — wear headphones for the coolest effect — combine with realistic high-detail graphics, physically-based rendering, and HDR audio recordings of real rocket launches to make the experience just like being there! You’ll be able to launch your rocket again and again, from anywhere you like. Just tap where you want your rocket to appear. It's that easy! Launch a tiny model on your desktop or a full-sized giant in a field! Backyard Apollo offers ways to customize your experience too, making it even more fun to launch your rockets and take snapshots for your friends. “3…2…1…Houston: we have liftoff”!
Sandbox Planet
Create and customize your own solar systems and planets. Emulate the development of the universe with highly detailed simulation tools. Build any celestial body you can imagine.
- Solar system simulation
- Planet building
- Universe emulation
- Customizable creation
- Celestial body design
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Simulate real solar system Emulate universe develop, build any planet you want. Highly customizable, bulid your own solar system.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Backyard Apollo AR at none against Sandbox Planet's 6. Backyard Apollo AR also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (70% vs 52%). Sandbox Planet's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Sandbox Planet sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Backyard Apollo AR asks for nothing beyond the download.
Backyard Apollo AR holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backyard Apollo AR has 1.5K ratings behind it against 303, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Backyard Apollo AR's written reviews are positive against 52% of Sandbox Planet's.
Backyard Apollo AR ships an update every 7 months, Sandbox Planet every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backyard Apollo AR | Sandbox Planet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better | 4.5 (303 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews — better | 51.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 303 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wobbleworks LLC | Oscar Tsang |
Customer experience
Backyard Apollo AR
Sandbox Planet
User reviews
Backyard Apollo AR
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Realistic rocket simulation
- 👍 Engaging and educational experience
- 💡 Potential for more rocket models
- 👍 Free to download
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Camera authorization issues
- 🔋 High memory and storage usage
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on older devices
Sandbox Planet
From 303 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Very fun and enjoyable game
- ✨ Beautiful graphics
- 🌌 Great sandbox experience
- 🎮 Compatible with iOS 18
- 🌠 Ability to design planets
Room to improve
- 💸 Expensive in-app purchases
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 📉 Slow progression without spending
- 😩 Ads are frequent and intrusive
- ⏳ Takes too long to create planets
Bugs and requests
Backyard Apollo AR
Reported bugs
3 issues- Startup crashes and sensor reset loops
- Rocket launch sequence freezes
- Persistent audio issues after app closure
Requested features
3 requests- Add more rocket models and launch configurations
- Implement video recording capability
- Improve overall stability and performance
Sandbox Planet
Reported bugs
8 issues- Advertisements have non-functional close buttons
- App crashes frequently
- Video ads for currency don't load
- Bug with GP conversion where it decreases
- Daytime interface is too bright
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- Some options do not charge GP as expected
- In-app purchases are confusing
- Black hole physics seem off
Requested features
7 requests- Random planets and stars should spawn
- Add currency earning methods
- Allow naming of planets
- Add more content
- Make the game harder
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- Add more slots for creations
- Provide instructions or tutorials
In-app purchases
Backyard Apollo AR
No in-app purchases
Sandbox Planet
- 5000 GP$1.99
- Remove Ad$2.99
- 25000 GP$5.99
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- 50000 GP$9.99
- 120000 GP$19.99
- 200000 GP$29.99
Questions
Is Backyard Apollo AR free?
Is Sandbox Planet free?
Which has better reviews, Backyard Apollo AR or Sandbox Planet?
Do Backyard Apollo AR or Sandbox Planet have ads?
Which is updated more often, Backyard Apollo AR or Sandbox Planet?
Other comparisons
