# Elemental Sands vs Level Up Village!

The clearest difference is rating: Level Up Village! at 4.8 against Elemental Sands's 4.3. Level Up Village! also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (69% vs 44%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Elemental Sands sells 31 one-off in-app purchases and Level Up Village! sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Level Up Village! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Level Up Village! has 670 ratings behind it against 70, 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 69% of Level Up Village!'s.

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, Level Up Village! every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elemental Sands | Level Up Village! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental-sands/id6474100439/reviews) | **[4.8 (670 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/level-up-village/id6749028974/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 70 | **670** |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **69.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 222 MB | 146 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TapTide Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711698136) | [ekgames](https://appshunter.io/developer/882668968) |

## 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


### Level Up Village!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/level-up-village/id6749028974)

Build a thriving village and gather heroes to battle monsters in this idle town-building simulator. Enjoy auto-battles, hero collection, and an infinite growth system. Your town and heroes grow even when you're offline.

**Highlights:** Idle town-building simulation, Auto battles with offline progression, Hero collection and team strategy, Hero leveling, promotion, and talent system, Tower climbing and treasure discovery, Charming pixel art graphics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level Up Village Package 15 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 16 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 17 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 8 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 18 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 9 | $7.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $8.99 | one-time |
| Auto Hunt Reward x2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 10 | $17.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 4 | $17.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 19 | $20.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 11 | $31.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 5 | $31.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 6 | $64.99 | one-time |
| Level Up Village Package 12 | $64.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elemental Sands free?

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

### Is Level Up Village! free?

Level Up Village! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Elemental Sands or Level Up Village!?

Level Up Village! is rated higher. Elemental Sands averages 4.3 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while Level Up Village! averages 4.8 from 670 ratings.

### Do Elemental Sands or Level Up Village! have ads?

Both Elemental Sands and Level Up Village! show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elemental Sands or Level Up Village!?

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, and Level Up Village! every 3 days. Most recently, Elemental Sands was updated on October 30, 2026 and Level Up Village! on October 28, 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.*