# Thisissand vs PIXIO®

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PIXIO® at none against Thisissand's 7. PIXIO® also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Thisissand's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 271) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thisissand sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. PIXIO® asks for nothing beyond the download.

PIXIO® holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thisissand has 1.5K ratings behind it against 271, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 83% and 83% positive.

Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, PIXIO® monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thisissand | PIXIO® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thisissand/id569414555/reviews) | **[4.7 (271 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixio/id1251460891/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 271 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 47 MB | 185 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beige Elephant](https://appshunter.io/developer/569414558) | [Jutiful](https://appshunter.io/developer/582966637) |

## What reviewers say

### Thisissand

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thisissand/id569414555)

Create and share mesmerizing sand art with this therapeutic app. Watch vibrant sand layers form, relax to soothing sounds, and explore a variety of color tools to design unique sand pictures. Join a community of artists and showcase your creations.

**Highlights:** Sand art creation, Relaxing soundscapes, Color Palette tool, Color Shifter tool, Color Picker from camera, Photo Sand feature, Save custom colors

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Color Palette | $0.99 | one-time |
| HD Sand | $0.99 | one-time |
| My Colors Expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Picker | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Shifter | $0.99 | one-time |
| Toolkit (reduced price) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Toolkit | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Relaxing and calming experience
- 🎨 Allows for creative expression
- 🔒 No ads or distractions
- 🤩 Satisfying sand effects
- 🤗 Supportive and friendly community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to find/access previous creations
- 🖌️ Limited color customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Screen going black after selecting photo sand
- Inability to post/share creations at times
- Inconsistent performance and loading issues
- Camera/microphone activation without user consent

**Requested features**

- Undo/erase functionality
- Ability to follow and comment on other users' creations
- More free color and sand options
- Improved search and organization of user content
- Save/resume unfinished creations


### PIXIO®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixio/id1251460891)

Design and build 3D pixel art digitally or with magnetic blocks. Explore a community of artists, share your creations, and get inspired by thousands of designs. Bring your digital art to life in the real world.

**Highlights:** Create 3D pixel art digitally, Build physical art with magnetic blocks, Interactive 3D building guides, Share creations and get community feedback, Augmented reality (AR) features, Explore and remix art from other users, Color palette inspiration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 🎨 Creative freedom and imagination
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Layer-by-layer instructions
- 🚀 Efficient and intuitive app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent errors and pop-ups
- 🐛 Cannot build or log back in
- 🐛 Sign-in issues
- 🐛 "Select favorite category" doesn't let user pass
- 🐛 Cannot see comments

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent errors and pop-ups
- Cannot build or log back in
- Sign-in issues
- "Select favorite category" doesn't let user pass
- Cannot see comments

**Requested features**

- More color options
- Add REBUS game updates
- Improve profile picture moderation
- Add different environment settings for builds (under the sea, ancient monsters, town, forest)
- Remove app blocks


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thisissand free?

Thisissand is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PIXIO® free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Thisissand or PIXIO®?

PIXIO® is rated higher. Thisissand averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while PIXIO® averages 4.7 from 271 ratings.

### Do Thisissand or PIXIO® have ads?

Neither Thisissand nor PIXIO® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thisissand or PIXIO®?

Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, and PIXIO® monthly. Most recently, Thisissand was updated on October 16, 2026 and PIXIO® on October 21, 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.*