# Idle Acorns vs Ethos Idle

The clearest difference is price: Ethos Idle at Free against Idle Acorns's $1.99. Ethos Idle also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 60%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Idle Acorns's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Ethos Idle is free to download; Idle Acorns costs $1.99 up front. Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Idle Acorns asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Idle Acorns against 4.8 for Ethos Idle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Acorns has 1.2K ratings behind it against 241, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Idle Acorns's written reviews are positive against 84% of Ethos Idle's.

Idle Acorns ships an update every 6 weeks, Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Acorns | Ethos Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-acorns/id1552999208/reviews) | **[4.8 (241 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 241 |
| Positive reviews | 60.2% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#87** | — |
| Size | 149 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [aleros.io LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1552999210) | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Acorns

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-acorns/id1552999208)

**Currently charting:** #87 Top Paid · Casual, #174 Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)

A classic idle clicker game with a charming narrative. Explore diverse environments, gather resources, craft items, and play mini-games. Enjoy a pure, ad-free experience with no in-app purchases or data mining.

**Highlights:** Resource gathering and upgrades, Crafting over 24 items, Fishing and cooking mini-game, Gardening and tree growing, Campfire for inviting characters, iCloud backup support, Game Center integration

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Charming and relaxing
- 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🎨 Pleasant aesthetics
- 🕹️ Satisfying gameplay loop
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Slow progression and pacing
- 🔍 Unclear mechanics and lack of explanation
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔌 Limited offline progress
- 🔢 Inconsistent upgrade costs

**Reported bugs**

- Tree disappearing issue
- Bat not recognizing feather purchases
- Zoom and UI issues on certain devices
- Negative acorn balance after time manipulation

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- More late-game content
- Improved UI and navigation
- Better explanation of game mechanics
- Increased offline progress


### Ethos Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942)

Guide humanity's progress from its earliest discoveries to the distant future. Manage your tribe's choices, develop over 200 unique ideas, and explore the world. Advance your civilization, unlock bonuses, and enjoy a single-player, offline experience with optional ads.

**Highlights:** Develop over 200 historic ideas, Explore and exploit the world, Manage tribe choices, Unlock exploration bonuses and synergies, Prestige mechanic upgrades, Customizable challenge scenarios, Offline single-player experience

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| x2 Speed | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast progression
- 👍 Minimal ad interruption
- 👍 Simple and enjoyable design
- 👍 Great for relaxing and watching numbers go up
- 👍 Excellent incremental game design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Slower progression speed desired
- 🛒 IAP for 2x production doesn't eliminate video ads

**Reported bugs**

- RNG for challenges is unfair and unfun
- Unlocking buffs for inaccessible technologies

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads entirely
- Clarification on prestige warp gain multipliers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Acorns free?

Idle Acorns costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Idle Acorns or Ethos Idle?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. Idle Acorns averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Ethos Idle averages 4.8 from 241 ratings.

### Do Idle Acorns or Ethos Idle have ads?

Ethos Idle shows ads; Idle Acorns does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Acorns or Ethos Idle?

Idle Acorns ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. Most recently, Idle Acorns was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ethos Idle 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.*