Comparison

Hourglass vs Sandy Timer

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

Head to head
About

Hourglass

A visual timer app that uses falling sand to help you track time peacefully. Ideal for focus sessions, meditation, or any activity where a calm sense of time passing is desired. Offers customizable colors and time visibility with a Pro upgrade.

Highlights
  • Visual falling sand timer
  • Customizable timer durations
  • Relaxing sand animation
  • Timer completion notifications
  • Restart recent timers
  • Customizable colors (Pro)
  • Toggle time visibility (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Watch the sand fall and enjoy a calmer way to keep track of time. Hourglass is a simple visual timer that lets you enjoy the gentle motion of falling sand while counting down your time. Use it for studying, focused work, reading, breaks, meditation, or any moment when you want time to feel a little more peaceful. Unlike an ordinary digital timer, Hourglass gives you a visual sense of time passing as the sand slowly falls. Perfect for: • Studying and focus sessions • Work and productivity • Reading and hobbies • Pomodoro sessions • Meditation and quiet time • Relaxing breaks Features: • Set any timer duration you like • Relaxing falling-sand animation • Quickly restart recently used timer durations • Notifications when the timer finishes • Customize sand and background colors with Pro • Show or hide the remaining time with Pro Whether you're studying, working, meditating, or taking a break, Hourglass gives you a simple and calming way to experience time. standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sandy Timer

Simulates a real sand timer using your device's orientation. Simply flip your phone to start the countdown. Tap the screen to adjust timer settings.

Highlights
  • Realistic sand timer simulation
  • Device orientation control
  • Tap to change settings
  • Simple and intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

This a real sand timer app simulator. Gravity does its job... Just turn your device upside down to start the timer! Single tap the screen to change the timer options. Make sure to turn the device orientation lock Off... and turn it upside-down!

Screenshots

Hourglass3 screens
Sandy Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Sandy Timer at none against Hourglass's shown. Hourglass's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (255 vs 9). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Hourglass sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Sandy Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hourglass holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hourglass has 255 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Hourglass's written reviews are positive against 25% of Sandy Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hourglass versus Sandy Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHourglassSandy Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (255 ratings) — better4.1 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings255 — better9
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFocaccia, Inc.Cesar Mejia Valero

Customer experience

Hourglass

All ratings254 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative50.0%

Sandy Timer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral37.5%
Negative37.5%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hourglass

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Hourglass Timer Pro$4.99
1 purchases

Sandy Timer

One-time1
  • Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Hourglass free?
Hourglass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sandy Timer free?
Sandy Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hourglass or Sandy Timer?
Hourglass is rated higher. Hourglass averages 4.5 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Sandy Timer averages 4.1 from 9 ratings.
Do Hourglass or Sandy Timer have ads?
Hourglass shows ads; Sandy Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Hourglass or Sandy Timer?
Hourglass ships an update weekly, and Sandy Timer weekly. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on November 3, 2026 and Sandy Timer on October 30, 2026.

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