# Hourglass vs Sandy Timer

The clearest difference is ads: Sandy Timer at none against Hourglass's shown. Sandy Timer also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 30%). Hourglass's advantage is ratings volume (216 vs 6) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Hourglass against 4.5 for Sandy Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hourglass has 216 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 30% of Hourglass's written reviews are positive against 50% of Sandy Timer's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hourglass | Sandy Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (216 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-simple-timer/id6449443481/reviews)** | [4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandy-timer/id6480015861/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **216** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 52 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Focaccia, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689143851) | [Cesar Mejia Valero](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506871861) |

## What reviewers say

### Hourglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-simple-timer/id6449443481)

This app offers a simple and user-friendly hourglass experience. Set your desired time, pause it as needed, and enjoy the soothing visual of falling sand. It's designed for moments of calm and focused time management.

**Highlights:** User-friendly hourglass interface, Set custom timer durations, Pause and resume timer, Soothing falling sand animation, Comforting visual experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro - Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Hourglass Timer Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


### Sandy Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandy-timer/id6480015861)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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 4.6 out of 5 from 216 ratings, while Sandy Timer averages 4.5 from 6 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 September 19, 2026 and Sandy Timer on July 20, 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.*