# IdleSpiral vs Ethos Idle

The clearest difference is rating: Ethos Idle at 4.8 against IdleSpiral's 4.2. Ethos Idle also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 54%) and ratings volume (241 vs 79). IdleSpiral's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. IdleSpiral sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ethos Idle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 79 and 241 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of IdleSpiral's written reviews are positive against 84% of Ethos Idle's.

IdleSpiral ships an update every 2 days, Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | IdleSpiral | Ethos Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (79 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idlespiral/id6476647541/reviews) | **[4.8 (241 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 79 | **241** |
| Positive reviews | 54.3% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 235 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Idle System, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727483319) | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) |

## What reviewers say

### IdleSpiral

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idlespiral/id6476647541)

An idle, incremental game where players aim to grow a spiral. It combines simple gameplay with mathematical beauty for long-term engagement.

**Highlights:** Idle gameplay, Incremental progression, Spiral mathematics, Long-term engagement, Simple mechanics

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spiral Point 500 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Snake Spiral | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bubble Spiral | $4.99 | one-time |
| Arrow Spiral | $4.99 | one-time |
| Water Spiral | $9.99 | one-time |
| Space Spiral | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bonfire  Spiral | $9.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Bonus | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pixel Spiral | $9.99 | one-time |
| Railway Spiral | $9.99 | one-time |
| Spiral Point 3000 | $12.99 | one-time |
| Spiral Point 10000 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game overall
- 💡 Interesting idle/incremental mechanics
- 🔢 Generates big numbers
- ✨ Satisfying progression
- 🎨 Can make cool patterns

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game glitches and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 📱 Phone gets very hot
- 📉 Progress halts without active play
- 💸 Premium currency hard to accumulate

**Reported bugs**

- Game is unresponsive
- Ads don't work or give rewards
- Patterns are random
- Bar at the bottom center not growable
- Phone gets super hot and drains battery

**Requested features**

- Fix bugs and glitches
- Improve ad rewards and length
- Make the game truly idle again
- Fix offline gains and progress
- Improve translation and text display


### Ethos Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942)

Guide humanity's progress from its earliest discoveries to the distant future. Manage your tribe's choices, develop over 200 unique ideas, and explore the world. Advance your civilization, unlock bonuses, and enjoy a single-player, offline experience with optional ads.

**Highlights:** Develop over 200 historic ideas, Explore and exploit the world, Manage tribe choices, Unlock exploration bonuses and synergies, Prestige mechanic upgrades, Customizable challenge scenarios, Offline single-player experience

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| x2 Speed | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast progression
- 👍 Minimal ad interruption
- 👍 Simple and enjoyable design
- 👍 Great for relaxing and watching numbers go up
- 👍 Excellent incremental game design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Slower progression speed desired
- 🛒 IAP for 2x production doesn't eliminate video ads

**Reported bugs**

- RNG for challenges is unfair and unfun
- Unlocking buffs for inaccessible technologies

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads entirely
- Clarification on prestige warp gain multipliers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is IdleSpiral free?

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

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, IdleSpiral or Ethos Idle?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. IdleSpiral averages 4.2 out of 5 from 79 ratings, while Ethos Idle averages 4.8 from 241 ratings.

### Do IdleSpiral or Ethos Idle have ads?

Both IdleSpiral and Ethos Idle show ads.

### Which is updated more often, IdleSpiral or Ethos Idle?

IdleSpiral ships an update every 2 days, and Ethos Idle every 3 weeks. Most recently, IdleSpiral was updated on October 30, 2026 and Ethos Idle on October 25, 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.*