# Golly vs Earth Editor

The clearest difference is rating: Golly at 4.8 against Earth Editor's 4.3. Golly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (97% vs 79%). Earth Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 32 months) and ratings volume (919 vs 47). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Golly holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Earth Editor has 919 ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Golly's written reviews are positive against 79% of Earth Editor's.

Golly ships an update every 32 months, Earth Editor every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Golly | Earth Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golly/id553184760/reviews)** | [4.3 (919 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-editor/id968975804/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 47 | **919** |
| Positive reviews | **96.8% of reviews** | 78.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 32 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 15 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Trevorrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/553184763) | [DAN-BALL](https://appshunter.io/developer/348592290) |

## What reviewers say

### Golly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golly/id553184760)

Explore Conway's Game of Life and various cellular automata with this open-source application. It supports diverse universe types, multiple algorithms, and a wide array of cellular automata rules. Users can import patterns, download from online archives, and utilize unlimited undo/redo functionality.

**Highlights:** Supports bounded and unbounded universes, Multiple algorithms including hashlife, Variety of cellular automata types included, Reads multiple file formats (RLE, macrocell, etc.), Extracts patterns and rules from zip files, Downloads patterns and rules from online archives, Unlimited undo/redo

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Earth Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-editor/id968975804)

Create your own world by placing various elements like sand, water, and lava on a gravity field. This simulation game allows for boundless creativity in designing unique planetary landscapes. Explore the possibilities of a sandbox environment where you are the architect of your own planet.

**Highlights:** World creation sandbox, Gravity field simulation, Place sand, water, seeds, lava, Creative planetary design, Element interaction

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Satisfying and fun
- 👍 No ads feature
- 👍 Relaxing and addictive
- 👍 Interesting physics and elements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Limited elements and features
- 🔍 Dot/pixel limit
- 💸 Ads can be intrusive

**Reported bugs**

- Black holes causing glitches
- Ice not freezing water properly
- Cloned elements not behaving as expected

**Requested features**

- More elements and materials to experiment with
- Ability to save multiple worlds
- Zoom and camera controls
- Realistic physics and behaviors (e.g. sand sinking in water)
- Ability to create life, animals, or civilizations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Golly free?

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

### Is Earth Editor free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Golly or Earth Editor?

Golly is rated higher. Golly averages 4.8 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Earth Editor averages 4.3 from 919 ratings.

### Do Golly or Earth Editor have ads?

Earth Editor shows ads; Golly does not.

### Which is updated more often, Golly or Earth Editor?

Golly ships an update every 32 months, and Earth Editor every 4 months. Most recently, Golly was updated on October 16, 2026 and Earth Editor on October 16, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*