# Universal Paperclips™ vs Idle Chest

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Universal Paperclips™ | Idle Chest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (314 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274/reviews)** | [4.5 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-chest/id6744372975/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **314** | 109 |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews | **80.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#53** | — |
| Size | 73 MB | 192 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Everybody House Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1112055587) | [Thomas Gunzburger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807389356) |

## What reviewers say

### Universal Paperclips™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274)

**Currently charting:** #53 Top Paid · Simulation, #55 Top Paid · Strategy, #158 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** AI paperclip maximization, Idle management gameplay, Strategy simulation, Empire building, Full gameplay, No ads, No in-app purchases

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple but addictive gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and clever concept
- 💡 Interesting philosophical elements
- 🚀 Surprisingly deep and replayable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially in later stages
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 😞 Lack of offline progress or background play
- 😞 Poorly optimized for iPad

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to save and resume progress across devices
- Offline/background progress
- Better iPad optimization with multi-column layout


### Idle Chest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-chest/id6744372975)

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.

**Highlights:** Open various chests, Loot and upgrade equipment, Buy skill upgrades, Unlock unique skills, Discover game story

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Underwater Background Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Underwater Chests Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Underwater Acolytes Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Underwater Complete Skins Pack | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun short idle clicker
- 👍 Consistent theme
- 👍 Enjoyable experience
- 👍 Minimalistic but rewarding grind
- 💰 Non-intrusive ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game breaking bug with 'Chosen One' minion
- 🔍 Difficult to compare tap damage to acolyte damage
- 🔍 Some explanations could be improved
- 🔍 Slightly linear progression

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets or reverts
- Minions not working after equipping 'Chosen One'

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Better UI for comparing damage sources


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Universal Paperclips™ free?

Universal Paperclips™ costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Idle Chest free?

Idle Chest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest?

Universal Paperclips™ is rated higher. Universal Paperclips™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 314 ratings, while Idle Chest averages 4.5 from 109 ratings.

### Do Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest have ads?

Idle Chest shows ads; Universal Paperclips™ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Universal Paperclips™ or Idle Chest?

Universal Paperclips™ ships an update every 3 months, and Idle Chest every 10 days. Most recently, Universal Paperclips™ was updated on November 6, 2026 and Idle Chest on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*