# Elemental Sands vs Up in a Cup

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Up in a Cup at 100% against Elemental Sands's 44%. Up in a Cup also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 32). Elemental Sands's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). On device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Elemental Sands is free to download; Up in a Cup costs $0.99 up front. Elemental Sands sells 31 one-off in-app purchases. Up in a Cup asks for nothing beyond the download.

Up in a Cup holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elemental Sands has 70 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Elemental Sands's written reviews are positive against 100% of Up in a Cup's.

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, Up in a Cup every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elemental Sands | Up in a Cup |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.3 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental-sands/id6474100439/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/up-in-a-cup/id6736694212/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **70** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 222 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TapTide Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711698136) | [Clay Pot Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/866702193) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Up in a Cup

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/up-in-a-cup/id6736694212)

Launch a disk through challenging obstacles to reach a cup and score points. Navigate through 100 unique levels, each with five distinct phases that increase in difficulty. Enjoy pure, uninterrupted arcade gameplay.

**Highlights:** Arcade-style gameplay, Launch disk through obstacles, Score points by reaching cups, 100 challenging levels, Five distinct level phases, Increasing difficulty

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elemental Sands free?

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

### Is Up in a Cup free?

Up in a Cup costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Elemental Sands or Up in a Cup?

Up in a Cup is rated higher. Elemental Sands averages 4.3 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while Up in a Cup averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Elemental Sands or Up in a Cup have ads?

Elemental Sands shows ads; Up in a Cup does not.

### Which is updated more often, Elemental Sands or Up in a Cup?

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, and Up in a Cup every 9 months. Most recently, Elemental Sands was updated on October 30, 2026 and Up in a Cup on October 22, 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.*