# Idle Clans vs Elemental Sands

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Idle Clans at 89% against Elemental Sands's 44%. Idle Clans also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Clans sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Elemental Sands sells 31 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Clans holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Clans has 600 ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Idle Clans's written reviews are positive against 44% of Elemental Sands's.

Idle Clans ships an update every 2 days, Elemental Sands every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Clans | Elemental Sands |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (600 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-clans/id6449681174/reviews)** | [4.2 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental-sands/id6474100439/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **600** | 68 |
| Positive reviews | **88.9% of reviews** | 44.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 317 MB | 215 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Isam Games Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1690028701) | [TapTide Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711698136) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Clans

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-clans/id6449681174)

Embark on an epic multiplayer idle MMORPG adventure. Train skills, engage in deep combat, craft gear, and master commerce in a player-driven economy. Join or form clans to conquer challenges and ascend leaderboards.

**Highlights:** Train 20+ unique skills, Deep combat system, Offline progression, Craft armor and weapons, Enchant jewelry, Brew potions, Player-driven economy, Clan system

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small holiday currency pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Extra inventory space | $1.99 | one-time |
| Extra clan vault space | $1.99 | one-time |
| Exterminating token | $3.99 | one-time |
| Boss hunter | $3.99 | one-time |
| Auto loadout token | $3.99 | one-time |
| Auto raid token | $4.99 | one-time |
| Questing scroll | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gigantic holiday currency pack | $17.99 | one-time |
| Inventory space token (x10) | $17.99 | one-time |
| Clan vault space token (x10) | $17.99 | one-time |
| Gilded token | $19.99 | one-time |
| Boss hunter token (x10) | $34.99 | one-time |
| Exterminating token (x10) | $39.99 | one-time |
| Questing scroll (x10) | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Free-to-play friendly
- 🚀 Efficient idle progression
- 💡 Engaging multiplayer features
- 👍 Balanced progression without pay-to-win
- 👍 Helpful and active community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues
- ⏱️ Long event durations for larger clans
- 💰 Premium content locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Loading screen freezes
- Inability to change character name

**Requested features**

- Reduce event task time
- Add more end-game content
- Improve mobile optimization


### Elemental Sands

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental-sands/id6474100439)

Build and automate a magical business empire in a fantasy world. Harness elemental powers to boost production and profits, collect rare items, and expand your reach to become a legendary CEO. This idle clicker game blends strategy with enchanting visuals.

**Highlights:** Build and automate business empire, Harness elemental power for production, Collect magical items and abilities, Increase company valuation and profits, Explore a fantasy world, Strategic management gameplay

**In-app purchases (31)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 24 Gold | $0.99 | one-time |
| Study Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Enduring Study Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Volatile Study Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Scorching Study Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| The Water Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| High Tide Event Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Energy Surge Event Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Vitality Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifeblood Event Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Auto Buy | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Strength Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Heavy Hitters Event Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Nature Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Wild Growth Event Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Electric Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| No Ads Boost | $4.99 | one-time |
| 135 Gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| 310 Gold | $9.99 | one-time |
| Research Bundle | $12.99 | one-time |
| Volatile Research Bundle | $12.99 | one-time |
| Enduring Research Bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Scorching Research Bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Volatile Proficiency Bundle | $24.99 | one-time |
| 740 Gold | $24.99 | one-time |
| Enduring Proficiency Bundle | $29.99 | one-time |
| Scorching Proficiency Bundle | $29.99 | one-time |
| Mastery Bundle | $49.99 | one-time |
| Scorching Mastery Bundle | $49.99 | one-time |
| Volatile Mastery Bundle | $49.99 | one-time |
| 5200 Gold | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Refreshing free-to-play model
- 🎶 Excellent soundtrack
- 👍 Unique currency system
- 👍 Enjoyable idle gameplay
- 👍 Good aesthetic and art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Drastic slowdown in progression
- 📉 Slow early game progression
- 📉 Progression feels stagnant
- 📉 Lack of rewarding progression
- 📉 Very slow and lacking features

**Reported bugs**

- Progress lost twice due to account issues
- App fails to load (tuning transmission frequencies)
- Updates bricked progress
- New patch reset sand capacity and spawn rate
- Game is locked with question marks on start

**Requested features**

- Convert excess sand to vials offline
- Increase level cap
- More content and end goals
- Formal suggestion channel (Discord)
- More mechanics in future updates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Clans free?

Idle Clans is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Elemental Sands free?

Elemental Sands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Idle Clans or Elemental Sands?

Idle Clans is rated higher. Idle Clans averages 4.7 out of 5 from 600 ratings, while Elemental Sands averages 4.2 from 68 ratings.

### Do Idle Clans or Elemental Sands have ads?

Elemental Sands shows ads; Idle Clans does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Clans or Elemental Sands?

Idle Clans ships an update every 2 days, and Elemental Sands every 3 weeks. Most recently, Idle Clans was updated on October 20, 2026 and Elemental Sands on October 17, 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.*