# Sand Miner vs Astro Shock Zero

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astro Shock Zero at none against Sand Miner's 10. Astro Shock Zero also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Sand Miner's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sand Miner sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Astro Shock Zero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sand Miner ships an update monthly, Astro Shock Zero weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sand Miner | Astro Shock Zero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-miner-idle-mining-game/id6448038107/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 1.1 GB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Take Top Entertainment LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1664783937) | [Pena](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473707001) |

## 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mirage Treasure | $2.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Sale Oil | $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 |


### Astro Shock Zero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astro-shock-zero/id6763540957)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sand Miner free?

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

### Is Astro Shock Zero free?

Astro Shock Zero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Sand Miner or Astro Shock Zero have ads?

Astro Shock Zero shows ads; Sand Miner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sand Miner or Astro Shock Zero?

Sand Miner ships an update monthly, and Astro Shock Zero weekly. Most recently, Sand Miner was updated on November 12, 2026 and Astro Shock Zero on November 9, 2026.

---

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