# Magic Research 2 vs Santa's Workshop

The clearest difference is price: Santa's Workshop at Free against Magic Research 2's $4.69. Magic Research 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (82% vs 60%). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Santa's Workshop is free to download; Magic Research 2 costs $4.69 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Magic Research 2 against 4.7 for Santa's Workshop. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 118 and 42 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Magic Research 2's written reviews are positive against 60% of Santa's Workshop's.

Magic Research 2 ships an update every 3 days, Santa's Workshop every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Research 2 | Santa's Workshop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.69 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-research-2/id6478566840/reviews)** | [4.7 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-workshop-idle-game/id6738013587/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **118** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | **82.1% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matias Ezequiel Colotto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1669682477) | [aleros.io LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1552999210) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Research 2

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

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Paid · Role Playing, #49 Top Paid · Simulation, #127 Top Paid · Games (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


### Santa's Workshop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-workshop-idle-game/id6738013587)

Help the elves craft toys and find Santa before it's too late in this holiday-themed idle game. Manage your workshop, care for reindeer, and complete missions to spread joy.

**Highlights:** Tap to build 25 unique toys, Offline toy crafting, Complete missions, Care for reindeer, Search for Santa, Collect achievements, Accessibility mode

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic Research 2 free?

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

### Is Santa's Workshop free?

Santa's Workshop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Magic Research 2 or Santa's Workshop?

Magic Research 2 is rated higher. Magic Research 2 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 118 ratings, while Santa's Workshop averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.

### Do Magic Research 2 or Santa's Workshop have ads?

Neither Magic Research 2 nor Santa's Workshop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Research 2 or Santa's Workshop?

Magic Research 2 ships an update every 3 days, and Santa's Workshop every 3 weeks. Most recently, Magic Research 2 was updated on October 27, 2026 and Santa's Workshop on October 24, 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.*