# Exponential Idle vs xiaojiantou

The clearest difference is update cadence: xiaojiantou at weekly against Exponential Idle's every 3 weeks. Exponential Idle's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Exponential Idle sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and xiaojiantou sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Exponential Idle ships an update every 3 weeks, xiaojiantou weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exponential Idle | xiaojiantou |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exponential-idle/id1538487382/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 91.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 95 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gilles-Philippe Paille](https://appshunter.io/developer/1538487384) | [友昌 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/6773165911) |

## What reviewers say

### Exponential Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exponential-idle/id1538487382)

Engage in a math-inspired incremental game where you strategically stack virtual money through exponential growth. Advance through time, make variable changes, and purchase upgrades to accelerate your earnings and unlock achievements.

**Highlights:** Exponential growth mechanics, Time progression, Change of variables, Buy upgrades, Earn virtual money, Unlock achievements

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Donate | $0.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Ad Reward | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donate | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great and addicting game
- 👍 Interesting story and educational
- 👍 Numbers go big
- 👍 User-friendly with good descriptions
- 👍 Highly automated progression

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- ⏱️ Slow progression after initial stages
- 🕹️ Difficult mini-games
- 🔒 Harsh time-change penalty
- 🔋 Potential performance issues on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle mini-games not loading correctly
- Offline progress issues after updates
- Occasional app crashes

**Requested features**

- More mini-games and challenges
- Better explanations for advanced mechanics
- Adjustable color schemes and visual customization
- Improved offline progress tracking
- Smoother performance and optimization


### xiaojiantou

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xiaojiantou/id6779033697)

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 600 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Tool Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2,000 Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tool Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Forever | $6.99 | one-time |
| 5,200 coins | $6.99 | one-time |
| Large Tool Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mega Tool Pack | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exponential Idle free?

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

### Is xiaojiantou free?

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

### Do Exponential Idle or xiaojiantou have ads?

Both Exponential Idle and xiaojiantou show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exponential Idle or xiaojiantou?

Exponential Idle ships an update every 3 weeks, and xiaojiantou weekly. Most recently, Exponential Idle was updated on September 22, 2026 and xiaojiantou on September 8, 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.*