# Sand Miner vs Mob Era

The clearest difference is ads: Sand Miner at none against Mob Era's shown. Mob Era's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sand Miner sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Mob Era sells 26 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Sand Miner against 4.6 for Mob Era. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4K and 3.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of Sand Miner's written reviews are positive against 30% of Mob Era's.

Sand Miner ships an update monthly, Mob Era fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sand Miner | Mob Era |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-miner-idle-mining-game/id6448038107/reviews) | [4.6 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mob-era-age-evolution/id6758683774/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K | **3.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 22.9% of reviews | **29.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.1 GB | 449 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LLP Take Top Entertainment](https://appshunter.io/developer/1664783937) | [HORUS PRODUCTIONS LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803315684) |

## What reviewers say

### Sand Miner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-miner-idle-mining-game/id6448038107)

Embark on a desert adventure to unearth marvelous relics. Experience the life of a mining tycoon in this idle digging game. Power up your excavator and start digging to discover hidden artifacts and become the ultimate idle tycoon.

**Highlights:** Idle mining gameplay, Excavator simulator, Artifact discovery, Desert exploration, Tycoon progression

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

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Subscription | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Crystal Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1000 gold | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mirage Treasure | $2.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Sale Oil | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5000 gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| Oil Magnate - Premium Pass | $8.99 | one-time |
| Advance Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Infinite Capacity | $9.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Wide Vacuum | $9.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 15000 gold | $9.99 | one-time |
| Choose One Oil - ALL | $11.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 50000 gold | $19.99 | one-time |
| 850 Gems | $29.99 | one-time |
| 100000 gold | $29.99 | one-time |
| 500000 gold | $39.99 | one-time |


### Mob Era

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mob-era-age-evolution/id6758683774)

Lead a growing crowd through different historical and future eras in this fast-paced evolution runner. Gather units, smash obstacles, and evolve your army from ancient warriors to future heroes. Experience a journey of growth, power, and domination.

**Highlights:** Evolution runner gameplay, Gather and expand crowds, Evolve through historical eras, Smash obstacles and enemies, Upgrade army and power, Satisfying progression loop

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

**In-app purchases (26)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 ENERGY SALE | $1.49 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 2 - AGE 1 OFFER | $1.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 1 - AGE 3 OFFER | $1.99 | one-time |
| SPECIAL OFFER 1a | $1.99 | one-time |
| 10 ENERGY | $1.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 1 - AGE 2 OFFER | $1.99 | one-time |
| REMOVE ADS SALE | $1.99 | one-time |
| SKIP ADS 25 | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 3 - AGE 5 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 1 - AGE 4 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 3 - AGE 4 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 5 - AGE 5 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 1 - AGE 5 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 2 - AGE 3 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| TIME LINE 2 - AGE 4 OFFER | $2.99 | one-time |
| 40 ENERGY SALE | $3.49 | one-time |
| 1000 GEM | $3.99 | one-time |
| REMOVE ADS | $3.99 | one-time |
| 40 ENERGY | $4.99 | one-time |
| ENERGY JAR | $4.99 | one-time |
| GHOST VECTOR PACK | $7.99 | one-time |
| WIND REAVER PACK | $7.99 | one-time |
| SAMURAI BUNDLE | $7.99 | one-time |
| 125 ENERGY SALE | $8.49 | one-time |
| 3300 GEM | $9.99 | one-time |
| BATTLE PASS | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sand Miner free?

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

### Is Mob Era free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sand Miner or Mob Era?

Sand Miner and Mob Era are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.4K and 3.1K ratings respectively.

### Do Sand Miner or Mob Era have ads?

Mob Era shows ads; Sand Miner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sand Miner or Mob Era?

Sand Miner ships an update monthly, and Mob Era fortnightly. Most recently, Sand Miner was updated on October 20, 2026 and Mob Era on October 19, 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.*