Comparison

HoppAR vs Sandbox Planet

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

Head to head
About

HoppAR

Experience rocket launches and landings in augmented reality. Control thrust vectoring, perform engine test fires, and customize rockets with your own colors. Explore a variety of real spacecraft and space mission scenarios.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality rocket launches
  • Manual thrust vectoring control
  • Rocket engine test fires
  • Customizable rocket coloring
  • Variety of real spacecraft models
  • Entry, Descent, and Landing simulations
  • Indoor and Outdoor AR modes
Features
Read full description

Launch and land your favorite rockets in Augmented Reality from your courtyard! Perform rocket engine test fires directly on your table. Manually control the Thrust Vectoring and perform your first landing at home! Color your favorite rocket and see it in action in Augmented Reality You can choose between many different rocket prototypes and real spacecrafts. Here are a few of them: the beloved StarHopper, the giant Starship MK1, and the hover test of the Dragon 2. Watch the Crew Dragon Demo Mission 2 leave the launch pad and the Falcon 9 first stage land back! Enjoy the Buran Orbiter and Energia Rocket conquer the sky, and many more spacecrafts to come! Not only rockets: enjoy the Perseverance Landing and the Sky-Crane maneuver in the "Last Minute of Terror" of the Entry Descend and Landing sequence. Fire a Raptor engine on your desk at home! Select between Indoor and Outdoor mode depending on where you are and the scale of the Rocket you want to launch. Apply filters to mimic the colors of your favorite planet and change the environmental conditions choosing among many different options: Rain, Thunderstorm, Snow and more Take a picture or record your best launch, share them with your friends with the #HoppAR hashtag and get into the Rocket Launcher's Social Wall Auto-renewable Subscription: Support app Development and new Rockets Addition (renewed on an annual basis) You get all mission unlocked with no limits for the time the subscription is active Non-Consumable Purchase: Instead of subscribing you might buy a single mission that will be unlocked with no time limit Let's HoppAR! (Disclaimer: This is app is not affiliated with any space company or its partners or customers)

About

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.

Highlights
  • Solar system simulation
  • Planet building
  • Universe emulation
  • Customizable creation
  • Celestial body design
Features
Read full description

Simulate real solar system Emulate universe develop, build any planet you want. Highly customizable, bulid your own solar system.

Screenshots

HoppAR4 screens
Sandbox Planet4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HoppAR at Free against Sandbox Planet's $14.99. HoppAR also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (85% vs 53%). On ratings volume, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

HoppAR is free to download; Sandbox Planet costs $14.99 up front. HoppAR sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year and Sandbox Planet sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HoppAR holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 579 and 300 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of HoppAR's written reviews are positive against 53% of Sandbox Planet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HoppAR ships an update every 2 months, Sandbox Planet every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HoppAR versus Sandbox Planet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHoppARSandbox Planet
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.8 (579 ratings) — better4.5 (300 ratings)
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews — better52.5% of reviews
Number of ratings579 — better300
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size372 MB118 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosef GrunigOscar Tsang

Customer experience

HoppAR

All ratings579 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative12.2%

Sandbox Planet

All ratings300 ratings
Positive86.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive52.5%
Neutral10.2%
Negative37.3%

User reviews

HoppAR

From 579 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent AR simulation and gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 High-quality rocket models and realistic designs
  • 🎵 Great music and audio (with some caveats)
  • 📱 Well-made and polished app overall
  • 🌟 Immersive and satisfying launch experience

Room to improve

  • 💰 Premium rockets locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 AR functionality issues on some devices
  • 📱 Orientation requirement (vertical/horizontal) frustrating
  • ⏱️ Limited gameplay - rockets auto-launch and auto-land
  • 🎬 Short 5-second clips lack player control

Sandbox Planet

From 300 App Store ratings

What 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

HoppAR

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Black screen on horizontal surface scanning
  • Camera not working on certain devices
  • App won't open or crashes on startup
  • Gray screen display issue
  • iPad AR compatibility problems
Show 2 more
  • App performance issues causing crashes
  • Sound/audio problems requiring fixes

Requested features

15 requests
  • Space Shuttle addition
  • Manual control for Falcon 9 and Dragon
  • Free access to premium rockets
  • Launch towers for all rockets
  • Soyuz rocket
Show 10 more
  • Sea Dragon rocket
  • Starship inclusion
  • First-person/cockpit camera view
  • Non-AR mode for gameplay
  • VR mode support
  • Ability to place objects in front of rockets
  • Increased rocket size to fill room
  • Enhanced smoke/rumble effects
  • Original countdown voices per rocket
  • More rocket variety overall

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
Show 3 more
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Add more slots for creations
  • Provide instructions or tutorials

In-app purchases

14 purchases

HoppAR

Subscriptions1
  • HoppAR Supporter$7.991 Year
One-time13
  • FALCON HEAVY$0.99
  • STARSHIP Belly Flop$0.99
  • SUPER HEAVY$0.99
Show 10 more
  • DELTA IV HEAVY$0.99
  • PERSEVERANCE$0.99
  • DRONESHIP OCISLY$0.99
  • NEW SHEPARD$0.99
  • ARIANE 5$0.99
  • ARTEMIS I$0.99
  • SOYUZ$0.99
  • ELECTRON$0.99
  • SATURN V$1.99
  • Control Feature$2.99
6 purchases

Sandbox Planet

One-time6
  • 5000 GP$1.99
  • Remove Ad$2.99
  • 25000 GP$5.99
Show 3 more
  • 50000 GP$9.99
  • 120000 GP$19.99
  • 200000 GP$29.99

Questions

Is HoppAR free?
HoppAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sandbox Planet free?
Sandbox Planet costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HoppAR or Sandbox Planet?
HoppAR is rated higher. HoppAR averages 4.8 out of 5 from 579 ratings, while Sandbox Planet averages 4.5 from 300 ratings.
Do HoppAR or Sandbox Planet have ads?
Sandbox Planet shows ads; HoppAR does not.
Which is updated more often, HoppAR or Sandbox Planet?
HoppAR ships an update every 2 months, and Sandbox Planet every 3 months. Most recently, HoppAR was updated on September 21, 2026 and Sandbox Planet on September 21, 2026.

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