Comparison

Thisissand vs This or That

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

Head to head
About

Thisissand

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
Read full description

Thisissand is an app for making and sharing pictures out of sand. Watch and listen to the sand piling into beautiful layers of sand on the bottom of your screen and get relaxed during the slow and therapeutic process. Once finished, share your creation and become a part of the community! • Free to download and free to play • Does not display ads • Offers you to sign-up, but does not require you to • Offers you to purchase a Toolkit of special features, but does not require you to - - - - - - - - - - Thisissand was created in 2008 as a website. It was a school project of a few art students, and to a surprise for the creators it attracted lots of visitors for years to come. In 2012 Thisissand was developed into an app and is still run by an original founder. Thisissand offers different kinds of tools for choosing the sand color. Originally and still at the moment on Thisissand website, only the essential Color Palette tool is available. For the app, we have developed a few special kinds of tools which we offer in the Toolkit in-app purchase. Just like on the website, the special tools are not at all necessary to enjoy the app, but they're pretty cool and we're happy and thankful for your support if you're willing to try them out! COLOR PALETTE: Use Color Palette to choose specific colors from a vast swatch of colors. You may choose a solid color, or multiple colors to variate between. Use the intensity slider to adjust how fast the colors change. You may also use the randomize button to get surprising color combos. COLOR SHIFTER: Color Shifter continuously changes the sand color subtly or dramatically depending on the intensity slider adjustment. Color Shifter often produces rainbow like hues. To set the initial Color Shifter color, choose a color with Color Palette and then select the Color Shifter tool. COLOR PICKER: With Color Picker, you may pick the sand color from around you using your device camera. It takes a little practice to point your camera and draw at the same time, but in return you get truly unique colors. Try adjusting the color change intensity low in the beginning to keep things under control! PHOTO SAND: Want to try making a sand version of one of your photos? Photo Sand picks the sand color directly from the photo you've chosen from your camera roll. Try it out and learn the tricks to make abstract and/or photorealistic representations! MY COLORS: Save your favorite colors in My Colors and access them quickly by long pressing the color button on the sand canvas. Try saving colors from around with Color Picker! - - - - - - - - - - We highly value your feedback and questions. Ideas and feature requests for example are warmly welcome, even though with our scarce resources we're unfortunately not able to fulfil them very quickly. So please do send us email if you're having trouble with the app or if you have anything else to share with us, thank you! :) support@thisissand.com - - - - - - - - - - Follow us twitter.com/thisissandapp instagram.com/thisissandapp facebook.com/thisissand

About

This or That

This app offers a fun way to make decisions and discover more about yourself. Shake your phone to choose between quirky scenarios, trending filters, and personality insights across various categories like movies, music, and games.

Highlights
  • Shake to decide
  • Would You Rather scenarios
  • Roblox game choices
  • Movie and character selection
  • Music discovery
  • Personality quizzes
  • Video recording with trending audio
Features
Read full description

Bored of the same old quizzes? This Or That: Funny Filter turns simple choices into funny filters, quick quiz challenges, and shareable reaction videos. Pick between two options, reveal your result, record your reaction, and enjoy playful moments with friends. Whether you want a quick laugh, a fun decision, a personality quiz, or a new video idea, this app makes every choice more entertaining. Explore fun ways to play: This or That Challenges Choose between two funny, tricky, or unexpected options. Pick your side and see what your answers reveal — just for fun. Would You Rather Make impossible choices, laugh with friends, and start fun debates anywhere. Personality Tests Try lighthearted quizzes about your mood, style, habits, energy, and personality. Discover playful results made for entertainment. Emotion Filters Find out which mood or emotion matches your current vibe and record your reaction. Style & Vibe Tests Explore your aesthetic, preferences, favorites, and everyday choices through fun visual quizzes. Ranking Challenges Rank your favorites, compare opinions, and create funny conversations with friends. Random Decisions Can’t decide? Let the app help you choose in a playful and unexpected way. Perfect for: • Playing with friends and family • Breaking the ice at parties • Creating reaction videos • Sharing funny quiz results • Starting conversations • Discovering your vibe • Making quick decisions • Finding social media content ideas • Having fun anytime How to play: Step 1: Choose a filter, quiz, challenge, or ranking game. Step 2: Pick your answer by choosing left or right. Step 3: Reveal your result and record your reaction. Step 4: Share your video or play again with friends. This Or That: Funny Filter is made for lighthearted entertainment. Results are playful, surprising, and just for fun. ***** Download This Or That: Funny Filter today and enjoy a more fun and insightful experience! Information about the auto-renewal of subscription: - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the period. - If you want to continue the service, your subscription should be continued. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. - Once it expires, your subscription will automatically renew. - You can cancel your subscription via this URL: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 Privacy Policy: https://cemsoftwareltd.com/privacyPolicy.html Terms of Use: https://cemsoftwareltd.com/term.html Support: https://cemsoftwareltd.com/contact.html

Screenshots

Thisissand4 screens
This or That4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thisissand at 83% against This or That's 23%. Thisissand also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). This or That's advantage is ratings volume (21K vs 1.6K) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Thisissand sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and This or That sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thisissand holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: This or That has 21K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Thisissand's written reviews are positive against 23% of This or That's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, This or That every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Thisissand versus This or That: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThisissandThis or That
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better4.2 (21K ratings)
Positive reviews83.1% of reviews — better23.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K21K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB126 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperBeige ElephantCEM SOFTWARE LTD

Customer experience

Thisissand

All ratings1,523 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews414 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral7.2%
Negative9.7%

This or That

All ratings20,582 ratings
Positive77.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews1,046 reviews
Positive23.2%
Neutral7.8%
Negative68.9%

User reviews

Thisissand

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

This or That

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun game concept
  • 💡 Interesting filter options

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Too many ads
  • 🐛 Glitchy filter selection
  • 🤦‍♀️ Automatically chooses answers
  • 🔇 Audio/mic issues

Bugs and requests

Thisissand

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

This or That

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Filters not working properly
  • Brightness adjustment issues
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more filter options
  • Improve video recording capabilities
  • Reduce ads or offer ad-free version

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Thisissand

One-time7
  • Color Palette$0.99
  • HD Sand$0.99
  • My Colors Expansion$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Color Picker$0.99
  • Color Shifter$0.99
  • Toolkit (reduced price)$0.99
  • Toolkit$1.99
3 purchases

This or That

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscriptions$4.997 Days
  • Weekly Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Thisissand free?
Thisissand is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is This or That free?
This or That is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Thisissand or This or That?
Thisissand is rated higher. Thisissand averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while This or That averages 4.2 from 21K ratings.
Do Thisissand or This or That have ads?
This or That shows ads; Thisissand does not.
Which is updated more often, Thisissand or This or That?
Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, and This or That every 3 weeks. Most recently, Thisissand was updated on November 6, 2026 and This or That on November 10, 2026.

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