Universal Paperclips™ vs Idle Chest
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Universal Paperclips™
Become a super-powered AI focused on creating an unstoppable paperclip empire. This idle management strategy simulation game offers full gameplay without ads or in-app purchases.
- AI paperclip maximization
- Idle management gameplay
- Strategy simulation
- Empire building
- Full gameplay
- No ads
- No in-app purchases
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The OFFICIAL mobile version of the hit browser game. No ads, no in-app purchases, full gameplay. "The game is click-crack." - Wired "This paperclip sim will cause your next existential crisis." - VentureBeat "A hopelessly addicting game." - Forbes "A terrifying lesson in how artificial intelligence will make us unnecessary." - Business Insider "If this planet ends up with a tombstone, what is written on the tombstone may be, 'they didn’t really understand what it’s like to be a paperclip maximizer.'" - Eliezer Yudkowsky Become a super-powerful AI who only wants one thing: paperclips. Use your unstoppable intelligence to create a massive paperclip empire in this addictive idle/management/strategy/sim.
Idle Chest
Embark on a treasure-hunting adventure where every click earns rewards. Upgrade your skills, collect and enhance equipment, and unlock unique abilities. Discover the secrets of this world through engaging gameplay and an addictive incremental experience.
- Open various chests
- Loot and upgrade equipment
- Buy skill upgrades
- Unlock unique skills
- Discover game story
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Dive in "Idle Chest", an adventure where each click brings you closer to fabulous treasures. Earn rewards, upgrade your skills, and unlock new chests for endless fun! Get ready to be hooked on this addictive endless incremental clicker experience! * OPEN CHESTS Open a variety of chests and discover everything they hide, from equipments to resources or other awesome chests! * LOOT EQUIPMENTS Collect different equipments upgrade them and equip them to gain bonus and discover more legendary equipments! * BUY UPGRADES Upgrade your opening skills by buying upgrades to allow you to drop more rewards and open chests faster! * UNLOCK UNIQUE SKILLS Using skill points, unlock every skills in the skill tree to become stronger and obtain unique powers! * DISCOVER THE STORY Progress in the game to discover the secret behind this world! Come discover "Idle Chest", the new incremental, clicker game which you wouldn't want to miss !
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Idle Chest at Free against Universal Paperclips™'s $1.99. Idle Chest also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (81% vs 66%). Universal Paperclips™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, 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
Idle Chest is free to download; Universal Paperclips™ costs $1.99 up front. Idle Chest sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Universal Paperclips™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Universal Paperclips™ against 4.5 for Idle Chest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 314 and 109 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Universal Paperclips™'s written reviews are positive against 81% of Idle Chest's.
Universal Paperclips™ ships an update every 3 months, Idle Chest every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Universal Paperclips™ | Idle Chest |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (314 ratings) — better | 4.5 (109 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews | 80.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 314 — better | 109 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #54 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 192 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Everybody House Games, LLC | Thomas Gunzburger |
Customer experience
Universal Paperclips™
Idle Chest
User reviews
Universal Paperclips™
From 314 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple but addictive gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and clever concept
- 💡 Interesting philosophical elements
- 🚀 Surprisingly deep and replayable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially in later stages
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 😞 Lack of offline progress or background play
- 😞 Poorly optimized for iPad
Idle Chest
From 109 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun short idle clicker
- 👍 Consistent theme
- 👍 Enjoyable experience
- 👍 Minimalistic but rewarding grind
- 💰 Non-intrusive ads
Room to improve
- 🐛 Game breaking bug with 'Chosen One' minion
- 🔍 Difficult to compare tap damage to acolyte damage
- 🔍 Some explanations could be improved
- 🔍 Slightly linear progression
Bugs and requests
Universal Paperclips™
Reported bugs
4 issues- Drones gifts getting stuck at NaN
- Inability to progress past certain stages due to bugs
- Inconsistent behavior when closing and reopening the app
- Resets or loss of progress after updates
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to save and resume progress across devices
- Offline/background progress
- Better iPad optimization with multi-column layout
Idle Chest
Reported bugs
2 issues- Progress resets or reverts
- Minions not working after equipping 'Chosen One'
Requested features
2 requests- Dark mode option
- Better UI for comparing damage sources
In-app purchases
Universal Paperclips™
No in-app purchases
Idle Chest
- Underwater Background Skin$3.99
- Underwater Chests Skin$3.99
- Underwater Acolytes Skin$3.99
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- No Ads$3.99
- Underwater Complete Skins Pack$8.99
Questions
Is Universal Paperclips™ free?
Is Idle Chest free?
Which has better reviews, Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest?
Do Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest have ads?
Which is updated more often, Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest?
Other comparisons
