# Magic Research 2 vs Ethos Idle

The clearest difference is price: Ethos Idle at Free against Magic Research 2's $4.69. Magic Research 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Ethos Idle is free to download; Magic Research 2 costs $4.69 up front. Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Magic Research 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Magic Research 2 against 4.8 for Ethos Idle. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 115 and 239 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Magic Research 2's written reviews are positive against 84% of Ethos Idle's.

Magic Research 2 ships an update every 3 days, Ethos Idle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Research 2 | Ethos Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.69 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-research-2/id6478566840/reviews) | [4.8 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 115 | **239** |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matias Ezequiel Colotto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1669682477) | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Research 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-research-2/id6478566840)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Paid · Role Playing, #46 Top Paid · Simulation, #102 Top Paid · Games, #178 Top Paid (US App Store)

Embark on a magical quest as a rookie wizard to find or create the Philosopher's Stone. Utilize over 120 spells, transmute hundreds of items, and lead a team of wizards in a semi-automated combat system. Explore dozens of areas, uncover secrets, and experience over 60 hours of gameplay.

**Highlights:** Over 120 distinct spells, Transmute over 250 items, Control a team of wizards, Semi-automated combat system, Explore dozens of areas, Discover secrets and storylines, Retirement bonuses for faster progress

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic sequel, better than the first
- 👍 Incredible sense of progression
- 💡 Fun build types, best in genre
- 👍 Incremental masterclass, gold standard
- 👍 True semi-idle masterpiece

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Extremely complicated, tedious timers
- 🐛 UI is absolutely atrocious
- 🐛 Time pieces cap out at 100k
- 🐛 UI issues, not easy to navigate
- 🐛 Sorting doesn't sort exactly as wanted

**Reported bugs**

- App instantly crashes on open
- Game crashes on startup
- App started rapidly pushing buttons on its own
- Overheating phone
- Lags and gets choppy in the late game

**Requested features**

- DLC or sequel news
- macOS version
- Better automation and convenience features
- Tweak familiar search time down
- Release the next one


### 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 Magic Research 2 free?

Magic Research 2 costs $4.69, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Magic Research 2 or Ethos Idle?

Magic Research 2 and Ethos Idle are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 115 and 239 ratings respectively.

### Do Magic Research 2 or Ethos Idle have ads?

Ethos Idle shows ads; Magic Research 2 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Research 2 or Ethos Idle?

Magic Research 2 ships an update every 3 days, and Ethos Idle fortnightly. Most recently, Magic Research 2 was updated on October 19, 2026 and Ethos Idle on September 29, 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.*