Comparison

Osmos vs Magic Research

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

Head to head
About

Osmos

Navigate a cosmic world as a galactic mote. Absorb smaller organisms to grow while avoiding larger predators. This physics-based survival game features stunning graphics and an ambient soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Physics-based gameplay
  • Absorb smaller organisms to grow
  • Avoid larger predators
  • Stellar graphics
  • Ambient soundtrack
  • 72 levels across 8 worlds
  • Multiplayer mode
Features
Read full description

** Apple Design Award winner and iPad Game of the Year! ** Enter the Darwinian world of a galactic mote. To survive, absorb smaller organisms and grow—but beware of larger predators. Osmos features unique physics-based play, stellar graphics, and a hypnotic ambient soundtrack. Absorb or be absorbed! “The ultimate ambient experience” — Gizmodo “Beyond doubt, a work of genius" — GameAndPlayer.net THE CRUX: you must grow by absorbing smaller motes, but to propel yourself you must eject matter behind you, causing you to shrink. From this delicate balance, Osmos leads the player through floating playgrounds, competitive petri dishes, deep solar systems, and more. “Named as iPad Game of the Year for a reason, Osmos is a fantastic game. A combination of physics, survival and classic eat em up” — WeDoCode “Whether you're a child at heart who likes mucking about with single-cell organisms, or a strategist with a physics degree, this game will appeal to everyone.” — App Store review AWARDS / recognition: * "iPad Game of the Year" and "iPhone App of the Week" — Apple * Apple Design Award winner (iPad version) * #1 Top iPhone Game — IGN * iPad Game of the Year — TUAW * Game of the Year — Create Digital Music * Editor's Choice — Wired, Macworld, IGN, GameTunnel, and more... * Best in Show — IndieCade * Vision Award — Independent Games Festival * Coolest Atmosphere — IGN * Best Soundtrack — IGN * Most Innovative Game — Best App Ever Awards, Pocket Gamer * Many top lists including Kotaku, PAX, TouchArcade, iLounge, APPera, IFC, and more... FEATURES: * 72 levels spanning 8 distinct worlds: Ambient, Antimatter, Solar, Sentient, Repulsor, Impasse, Warped Chaos, and Epicycles. * Multiplayer! (more info below.) * Award-winning electronic soundtrack by Loscil, Gas, High Skies, Biosphere, Julien Neto, and more. * Endless replay value: play random versions of any level in Arcade mode. * Seamlesss multitouch controls: swipe to warp time, tap anywhere to eject mass, pinch to zoom… * Time-warping: slow down the flow of time to outmaneuver agile opponents; speed it up to raise the challenge. * Confront four distinct AI opponents: the Ovarium, the Biophobe, the Nemocyte… and the deadly Ferax. * 13 single-player and 15 multiplayer achievements. * Progress synced via iCloud. MULTIPLAYER * Play against your friends and enemies, locally (via wi-fi), or over the Internet. * 6 distinct Arenas: Ambient, Impasse, Solar, Warped Chaos, Epicycles, and introducing… Antimatter Impasse. * iPad vs. iPhone play supported. “a beautiful, absorbing experience." — IGN 5/5 - Macworld Editor’s Choice - “One of the best games we’ve played so far this year. An utterly serene, yet fiendishly complicated game that deserves a place in every iPad owners collection.” — MacWorld “The best iPad game yet.” — IGN 4/4, Must Have - “We are more than overwhelmed by Osmos for iPad… The game design is thoughtful and intuitive, new level structures are flawless, and the visuals are stunning yet simplistic… every iPad owner should have Osmos on their device. You just won’t find another experience quite like it.” — Slide To Play “What iPad Gaming Should Be All About” — Gizmodo “The first proper breakout hit for the iPad. Osmos feels so natural and enjoyable to play, even when the difficulty ramps up and you find yourself repeatedly careening into a giant gaseous enemy.” — Wired “It’s the best iPad game on the App Store” — MTV Multiplayer 5/5 - “Osmos is an absolute must that will change the way you think of games, and what you expect from them.” — AppAdvice “Beyond doubt, a work of genius... a relaxing, meditative experience about going with the flow... It all adds up to something otherworldly and just . . . incredible.” — GameAndPlayer.net

About

Magic Research

Lead a new magic institution to discover the secrets of magic and achieve fame. Research spells, build your campus, manage staff, and uncover hidden storylines to win the Tournament of Magic. Enjoy a complete game experience with no ads.

Highlights
  • Cast over 100 spells
  • Research magic in various schools
  • Build and manage campus
  • Manage researchers and apprentices
  • Discover hidden features and storylines
  • Retirement bonuses for faster progress
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

In Magic Research, you are the headmaster of a newly-created institution of Magic with one goal: to learn as much as possible about this power and get enough fame to be able to compete, and win, the prestigious competition of schools: the Tournament of Magic. But what will you discover along the way? * Cast over a hundred different spells with various effects * Research magic in various magical schools to discover new, surprising ways to use this power * Accumulate resources and build the school campus * Manage a team of researchers and apprentices to lead your school to fame * Discover tons of hidden new features - when will you unlock the next one? * Find over eight dozen secret storylines with permanent, game-altering effects * Restart the game and make faster progress each time with retirement bonuses * Optimized both for iPhone and iPad * No ads! This is the full, complete game. You can transfer save data from the demo by using the Export / Import Save feature available in both the demo and in the full game.

Screenshots

Osmos4 screens
Magic Research4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Magic Research at every 4 days against Osmos's every 7 months. Osmos's advantage is ratings volume (892 vs 188) and chart position (#43 vs #142). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

Osmos costs $3.99 and Magic Research $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Osmos against 4.7 for Magic Research. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 892 and 188 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Osmos's written reviews are positive against 95% of Magic Research's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Osmos ships an update every 7 months, Magic Research every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Osmos versus Magic Research: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOsmosMagic Research
Price$3.99$3.99
Rating4.8 (892 ratings) — better4.7 (188 ratings)
Positive reviews92.3% of reviews95.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings892 — better188
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#43 — better#142
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB25 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHemisphere GamesMatias Ezequiel Colotto

Customer experience

Osmos

All ratings892 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews1,212 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.5%

Magic Research

All ratings188 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive95.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.9%

User reviews

Osmos

From 892 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Mesmerizing visuals and aesthetics
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack and audio design
  • 🧠 Challenging and thought-provoking gameplay
  • 🕰️ Ability to control time/speed
  • 🕊️ Relaxing and meditative experience

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Frustratingly difficult at times
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🖥️ Not optimized for larger screens (iPad)
  • 🔍 Lack of zoom/scale controls

Magic Research

From 188 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great idle/incremental game
  • 💡 Deep and complex systems
  • 🚀 Well-paced progression
  • 💰 Worth the price
  • ✨ No ads or microtransactions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 UI layout issues
  • 🐌 Can be grindy
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🐛 Text running off page/scrolling issues
  • 🐛 Wood resource bug

Bugs and requests

Osmos

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices/OS versions
  • Compatibility issues with newer hardware

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Multiplayer mode improvements
  • Customization options (e.g. music, visuals)
  • Difficulty settings or accessibility options

Magic Research

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • On new iPhones, switching away and back causes UI unresponsiveness
  • Text running off the page, preventing interaction with buttons
  • Wood resource counting backwards
  • Becoming stunned for a full minute, unable to act
  • Bosses running away from fights
Show 3 more
  • Exploration difficulty jump
  • UI layout issues on iPad Pro (long scrolling panels, cut-off inventory views, difficult spell favorite scrolling, useless event panel)
  • Text pages not scrolling, making discoveries unreadable

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add background music
  • Add Chinese language support
  • Make monsters pixelated
  • Adjustable times for apprentice auto-casting
  • Display monstium collection counter during exploration
Show 7 more
  • Allow apprentices to auto-craft potions
  • Make the game accessible to the blind
  • Add a way to start further into dungeons
  • Automate crafting
  • Improve quality of crafted items (armor, weapons)
  • Add a 'Magic Smithing' school
  • Allow players to avoid or cure silence effects

In-app purchases

None

Osmos

No in-app purchases

None

Magic Research

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Osmos free?
Osmos costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic Research free?
Magic Research costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Osmos or Magic Research?
Osmos is rated higher. Osmos averages 4.8 out of 5 from 892 ratings, while Magic Research averages 4.7 from 188 ratings.
Do Osmos or Magic Research have ads?
Neither Osmos nor Magic Research shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Osmos or Magic Research?
Osmos ships an update every 7 months, and Magic Research every 4 days. Most recently, Osmos was updated on October 2, 2026 and Magic Research on September 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Osmos or Magic Research?
Osmos currently peaks at #43 in the App Store charts, and Magic Research at #142. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons