Comparison

Hole People vs Sand Loop

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hole People

A strategic puzzle game where players fill holes with stickmen, managing limited slots. Plan moves carefully to avoid filling up and clear rows to make space. New challenges include color-matching mechanics and a "Lockdown Hole" feature that adds a time-sensitive twist.

Highlights
  • Fill stickmen into holes
  • Manage available slots
  • Clear front rows to make space
  • Color-blocking mechanics
  • Lockdown Hole feature
Features
Read full description

Simple, strategic, and fun puzzle game! Fill all the stickmen into the holes while managing your available slots. Plan your moves wisely—once the slots are full, it's game over! Clear the front rows to make space and match stickmen correctly. Different colors block each other, so think ahead! We’ve freshened things up again! Enjoy smoother visuals and polished animations for an even better gameplay experience. Ready for a twist? Meet LOCKDOWN HOLE — if you don’t use it for 4 moves, it locks down for 2 moves! Think fast, plan smart, and don’t get locked out!

About

Sand Loop

Engage in a relaxing puzzle game where you guide buckets to collect colored sand. Watch as the sand flows with realistic physics to reveal beautiful artwork. Enjoy a calming escape with intuitive controls and hundreds of handcrafted levels.

Highlights
  • Sand collection puzzle gameplay
  • Realistic sand physics
  • Hundreds of handcrafted levels
  • Intuitive tap controls
  • Visually satisfying sand flow
  • Hidden artwork reveals
Features
Read full description

Sand Loop is a relaxing sand sort puzzle: a finished sand artwork is sitting in front of you, and your job is to collect every grain of it. Guide the buckets along the conveyor, pour each color into the one that matches, and let real sand physics do the rest. Take the whole picture apart, color by color, until the board is clear. Relax and unwind after a long day, or take one level at a time on the go. How to play: - Tap to release a bucket and send it down the conveyor - Each color of sand gets poured into the bucket that matches - Work through the artwork until every grain is collected - Place your buckets strategically to solve the puzzle - Clear the board and enjoy the payoff Easy to pick up, genuinely tricky by level 100! Why you'll love it: The sweet spot between a brain teaser and a stress-relief game. Simple taps, beautiful results, steady progress, sand physics and ASMR-style sounds that make every level worth watching. Game features: - A sand sort puzzle built on a loop: timing matters, not just matching - Real sand physics: every grain pours, piles and settles - Hundreds of handcrafted levels, with more in every update - Fresh obstacles and twists that keep changing how you solve - A different sand artwork to take apart in every level - Soft ASMR-style sand sounds and a calm, colorful art style - Free to play, with no countdown timer on any level - Limited-time events to take part in when you feel competitive It never settles into one trick. Just as you get comfortable, a level changes the rules on you - a new obstacle, a new way the sand behaves, a new reason the order you pour in suddenly matters. There is a fresh twist every couple of weeks, so the game you are playing in a month is not the one you downloaded. Hundreds of levels in, it is still finding ways to surprise you. Take a moment for yourself. Let the sand flow. Download Sand Loop for free and start sorting.

Screenshots

Hole People4 screens
Sand Loop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hole People at 4.7 against Sand Loop's 4.5. Hole People also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (27% vs 17%). Sand Loop's advantage is chart position (#89 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hole People sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Sand Loop sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hole People holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25K and 21K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Hole People's written reviews are positive against 17% of Sand Loop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hole People ships an update weekly, Sand Loop fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Hole People versus Sand Loop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHole PeopleSand Loop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (25K ratings) — better4.5 (21K ratings)
Positive reviews26.7% of reviews — better17.1% of reviews
Number of ratings25K — better21K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#89 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size508 MB370 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRollic GamesVoodoo

Customer experience

Hole People

All ratings24,804 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews830 reviews
Positive26.7%
Neutral19.2%
Negative54.1%

Sand Loop

All ratings21,323 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews1,286 reviews
Positive17.1%
Neutral17.3%
Negative65.6%

Bugs and requests

Hole People

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Glitches on levels 180, 214, 256, 261
  • Game freezing/crashing after purchases
  • Issues with hole/tile registration

Requested features

3 requests
  • Option to skip difficult levels
  • In-game help/tips for players
  • Better progression system

Sand Loop

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Hole People

One-time13
  • Coin Pack 1$1.99
  • Fail Offer$4.99
  • No Ads$7.99
Show 10 more
  • Coin Pack 2$7.99
  • Golden Pass$9.99
  • Inf Life Pack 1$9.99
  • No Ads Bundle$11.99
  • Coin Pack 3$14.99
  • Inf Life Pack 2$19.99
  • Coin Pack 4$29.99
  • Inf Life Pack 3$29.99
  • Coin Pack 5$59.99
  • Coin Pack 6$99.99
16 purchases

Sand Loop

One-time16
  • Coin Pack 1$1.99
  • Happy Hour$3.99
  • Special Offer$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Sand Loop Offer$5.99
  • Coin Pack 2$7.99
  • No Ads$7.99
  • Sand Loop Offer$9.99
  • Sandy Essentials$9.99
  • Sandy Pass$9.99
  • No Ads Bundle2 variants$12.99
  • Sand Loop Offer$14.99
  • Coin Pack 3$14.99
  • Sandy Gift$19.99
  • Sandy Treasures$29.99
  • Coin Pack 5$54.99
  • Coin Pack 6$99.99

Questions

Is Hole People free?
Hole People is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sand Loop free?
Sand Loop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hole People or Sand Loop?
Hole People is rated higher. Hole People averages 4.7 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Sand Loop averages 4.5 from 21K ratings.
Do Hole People or Sand Loop have ads?
Both Hole People and Sand Loop show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hole People or Sand Loop?
Hole People ships an update weekly, and Sand Loop fortnightly. Most recently, Hole People was updated on October 16, 2026 and Sand Loop on October 16, 2026.

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