# Elemental Sands vs Idle Tic Tac Toe

The clearest difference is rating: Idle Tic Tac Toe at 4.5 against Elemental Sands's 4.2. Idle Tic Tac Toe also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 44%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Elemental Sands sells 31 one-off in-app purchases and Idle Tic Tac Toe sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Tic Tac Toe holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 69 and 60 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Elemental Sands's written reviews are positive against 64% of Idle Tic Tac Toe's.

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, Idle Tic Tac Toe fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elemental Sands | Idle Tic Tac Toe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental-sands/id6474100439/reviews) | **[4.5 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-tic-tac-toe/id6749514089/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **69** | 60 |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **64.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 222 MB | 157 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TapTide Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711698136) | [Red Prism Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1788940355) |

## 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


### Idle Tic Tac Toe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-tic-tac-toe/id6749514089)

Build a network of Tic Tac Toe players to gain classroom clout. Recruit, upgrade, and profit from your players as they compete for gum. Enjoy continuous gameplay whether you're actively playing or away.

**Highlights:** Recruit and upgrade Tic Tac Toe players, Earn gum and classroom clout, Idle gameplay mechanics, Build a network of players, Progress through school ranks

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hall Pass Handful | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hall Pass Binder | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ad Free | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hall Pass Backpack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hall Monitor Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hall Pass Truckload | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elemental Sands free?

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

### Is Idle Tic Tac Toe free?

Idle Tic Tac Toe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Elemental Sands or Idle Tic Tac Toe?

Idle Tic Tac Toe is rated higher. Elemental Sands averages 4.2 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while Idle Tic Tac Toe averages 4.5 from 60 ratings.

### Do Elemental Sands or Idle Tic Tac Toe have ads?

Both Elemental Sands and Idle Tic Tac Toe show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elemental Sands or Idle Tic Tac Toe?

Elemental Sands ships an update every 3 weeks, and Idle Tic Tac Toe fortnightly. Most recently, Elemental Sands was updated on October 25, 2026 and Idle Tic Tac Toe on October 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.*