Sandglass3 vs Hourglass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sandglass3
This app simulates a realistic hourglass with customizable timer durations. Users can flip the hourglass by swiping or rotating their device. It offers optional sound alerts and automatic rotation upon completion.
- Realistic hourglass simulation
- 1, 3, and 6-minute timers
- Swipe to flip hourglass
- Rotate device to flip
- Chime alert on completion
- Automatic rotation option
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It's a very simple, yet realistic hourglass. - Choose from a 1-minute, 3-minute, or 6-minute timer (check the remaining time at the bottom of the screen to determine the correct time). - Swipe the screen horizontally or turn your iPhone sideways and then back to portrait to flip the hourglass over. - You can display the remaining time and play a chime when the timer finishes. - You can set it to rotate automatically once all the sand has fallen. Staring at it is soothing...maybe.
Hourglass
This app offers a simple and user-friendly hourglass experience. Set your desired time, pause it as needed, and enjoy the soothing visual of falling sand. It's designed for moments of calm and focused time management.
- User-friendly hourglass interface
- Set custom timer durations
- Pause and resume timer
- Soothing falling sand animation
- Comforting visual experience
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Simple and user-friendly hourglass app. You can set your desired time and also pause it. Watching the beautiful falling sand is soothing and comforting. standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hourglass at 4.6 against Sandglass3's 2.7. Hourglass also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (216 vs 11). Sandglass3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (44% vs 30%). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Hourglass sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Sandglass3 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hourglass holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hourglass has 216 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Sandglass3's written reviews are positive against 30% of Hourglass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Sandglass3 ships an update every 8 months, Hourglass weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sandglass3 | Hourglass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.7 (11 ratings) | 4.6 (216 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews — better | 30.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 216 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Keietsu Yasuhara | Focaccia, Inc. |
Customer experience
Sandglass3
Hourglass
In-app purchases
Sandglass3
No in-app purchases
Hourglass
- Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Hourglass Timer Pro$3.99
