Comparison

Sandy Timer vs Real Hourglass

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

Head to head
About

Sandy Timer

Simulates a real sand timer using your device's orientation. Simply flip your phone to start the countdown. Tap the screen to adjust timer settings.

Highlights
  • Realistic sand timer simulation
  • Device orientation control
  • Tap to change settings
  • Simple and intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

This a real sand timer app simulator. Gravity does its job... Just turn your device upside down to start the timer! Single tap the screen to change the timer options. Make sure to turn the device orientation lock Off... and turn it upside-down!

About

Real Hourglass

A minimalist sand timer app that offers a realistic hourglass animation for focus, relaxation, and time management. It's designed to provide a distraction-free experience for various daily activities.

Highlights
  • Realistic hourglass animation
  • Intuitive interface
  • Focus sessions
  • Meditation aid
  • Daily routine timer
  • Distraction-free design
Features
Read full description

Experience the calm and clarity of a traditional hourglass, reimagined for your smartphone. This app offers a beautifully animated sand timer that helps you stay focused, relax your mind, or manage your daily activities with ease. Whether you're studying, meditating, cooking, or taking a short break, the hourglass provides a gentle and distraction-free way to keep track of time. Features - Smooth and realistic hourglass animation - Simple and intuitive interface - Perfect for focus sessions, meditation, stretching, or daily routines Bring a touch of calm to your day with this minimalist hourglass timer. Enhance your productivity with a clean and distraction-free hourglass timer designed for focus, study sessions, meditation, and daily routines. This simple sand timer app provides a realistic hourglass animation, making it perfect for Pomodoro-style focus, mindfulness, relaxation, and time management. Use it as a study timer, focus timer, meditation timer, or a calming visual timer to help you stay on track. Its minimalist design ensures a smooth experience whether you're working, reading, stretching, or taking a break.

Screenshots

Sandy Timer4 screens
Real Hourglass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Real Hourglass at 100% against Sandy Timer's 50%. Real Hourglass also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Sandy Timer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, update cadence 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. Sandy Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Real Hourglass sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Real Hourglass holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandy Timer has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Sandy Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Real Hourglass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Sandy Timer versus Real Hourglass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSandy TimerReal Hourglass
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCesar Mejia Valeroakira ohmachi

Customer experience

Sandy Timer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Real Hourglass

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sandy Timer

One-time1
  • Pro$3.99
1 purchases

Real Hourglass

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Sandy Timer free?
Sandy Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Real Hourglass free?
Real Hourglass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sandy Timer or Real Hourglass?
Real Hourglass is rated higher. Sandy Timer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Real Hourglass averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Sandy Timer or Real Hourglass have ads?
Real Hourglass shows ads; Sandy Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Sandy Timer or Real Hourglass?
Sandy Timer ships an update weekly, and Real Hourglass weekly. Most recently, Sandy Timer was updated on September 29, 2026 and Real Hourglass on October 2, 2026.

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