Osmos vs Magic Research
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Physics-based gameplay
- Absorb smaller organisms to grow
- Avoid larger predators
- Stellar graphics
- Ambient soundtrack
- 72 levels across 8 worlds
- Multiplayer mode
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** 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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Osmos costs $3.99 and Magic Research $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Osmos | Magic Research |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (892 ratings) — better | 4.7 (188 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | 95.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 892 — better | 188 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #43 — better | #142 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hemisphere Games | Matias Ezequiel Colotto |
Customer experience
Osmos
Magic Research
User reviews
Osmos
From 892 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- 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
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- 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
Osmos
No in-app purchases
Magic Research
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Osmos free?
Is Magic Research free?
Which has better reviews, Osmos or Magic Research?
Do Osmos or Magic Research have ads?
Which is updated more often, Osmos or Magic Research?
Which is more popular, Osmos or Magic Research?
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