# Sandbox AR vs GowanusAR

The clearest difference is rating: GowanusAR at 5.0 against Sandbox AR's 4.8. GowanusAR also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Sandbox AR's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

GowanusAR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandbox AR has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sandbox AR ships an update every 2 months, GowanusAR every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sandbox AR | GowanusAR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandbox-ar/id1582806816/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gowanusar/id6747295340/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1.6 GB | 1.2 GB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Discovery Education Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557216359) | [Sarah Drury](https://appshunter.io/developer/1832071542) |

## What reviewers say

### Sandbox AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandbox-ar/id1582806816)

Create, build, and explore immersive virtual worlds using augmented reality. This app allows users to scale creations to life-size and share them with others. It's designed to bring interactive technology into educational settings.

**Highlights:** Create, build, and explore in AR, Life-size scale exploration, Share creations via QR code, Capture snapshots and videos, Teacher audio descriptions (DE:X subscribers), Link to curated resources (DE:X subscribers)

**In-app purchases:** none


### GowanusAR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gowanusar/id6747295340)

Experience the history of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal through an immersive augmented reality application. Discover stories, sounds, and speculative futures embedded in the landscape as you explore the neighborhood.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality Navigation, Immersive Spatial Audio, Interactive Storytelling, Speculative Histories, Location-based AR experiences

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sandbox AR free?

Sandbox AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is GowanusAR free?

GowanusAR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sandbox AR or GowanusAR?

GowanusAR is rated higher. Sandbox AR averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while GowanusAR averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Sandbox AR or GowanusAR have ads?

Neither Sandbox AR nor GowanusAR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sandbox AR or GowanusAR?

Sandbox AR ships an update every 2 months, and GowanusAR every 5 months. Most recently, Sandbox AR was updated on October 24, 2026 and GowanusAR on October 6, 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.*