# Fishdom vs Sand Balls

The clearest difference is ads: Fishdom at none against Sand Balls's shown. Fishdom also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). Sand Balls's advantage is review sentiment (42% vs 33%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Fishdom sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Sand Balls sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Fishdom against 4.6 for Sand Balls. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2M and 286K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Fishdom's written reviews are positive against 42% of Sand Balls's.

Fishdom ships an update every 2 weeks, Sand Balls every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fishdom | Sand Balls |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishdom/id664575829/reviews)** | [4.6 (286K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-balls-digger-puzzle/id1474046667/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2M** | 286K |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **41.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#10** | — |
| Size | 292 MB | 289 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playrix](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162116447) | [SayGames LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551847165) |

## What reviewers say

### Fishdom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishdom/id664575829)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Grossing · Casual, #11 Top Grossing · Puzzle, #24 Top Grossing · Games, #71 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Dive into an underwater world with this match-3 puzzle game. Design and decorate unique aquariums, collect adorable fish, and compete with friends in exciting events. Enjoy thousands of levels and explore a vibrant aquatic universe.

**Highlights:** Original match-3 gameplay, Thousands of captivating levels, Aquarium decoration and customization, Collect adorable fish and pets, Exciting in-game events and expeditions, Multiplayer competitions and team play

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A few Diamonds! | $0.99 | one-time |
| A few Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wonderous Collection | $1.99 | one-time |
| A few Diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Fishy Bank | $2.99 | one-time |
| Handful of Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Marvelous Collection | $5.99 | one-time |
| Hatchling's Cache | $6.99 | one-time |
| Crab's Finds | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Variety of fish and aquarium customization
- 🕹️ Engaging and challenging gameplay
- 🕰️ No ads disrupting gameplay
- 🤝 Ability to join teams and help each other

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Game becomes increasingly pay-to-win at higher levels
- 🤖 Unhelpful customer support bot
- 🤯 Levels designed to force in-app purchases
- 🎢 Inconsistent difficulty spikes and level manipulation
- 🕰️ Restrictive time limits on rewards and boosters

**Reported bugs**

- Boosters not working as intended
- Levels becoming unwinnable due to glitches
- Disappearing aquariums and lost progress

**Requested features**

- Option to replay previous levels for coins
- Ability to choose when to use earned boosters
- More transparent and fair progression system
- Improved customer support responsiveness


### Sand Balls

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-balls-digger-puzzle/id1474046667)

Dig and collect colorful sand balls by navigating intricate paths and overcoming obstacles. Use strategy to fill a truck and transport them to build and upgrade a beautiful island. Enjoy hundreds of levels for relaxation and brain-teasing fun.

**Highlights:** Dig and collect colorful sand balls, Navigate complex paths and obstacles, Fill trucks and transport balls, Build and upgrade a beautiful island, Hundreds of challenging levels, Collect golden keys for surprises

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP Month | $19.99 | per month |
| 3 Hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| 25 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unique Ball bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| 10 Hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| 25 Hints | $4.99 | one-time |
| Basic bundle | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 👍 Satisfying physics and visuals
- 💡 Interesting sand city building feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🤔 Repetitive and unvaried levels
- 💰 Expensive VIP subscription
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Balls getting stuck in impossible positions
- Game freezing or crashing
- Issues with claiming rewards and unlocking new content

**Requested features**

- Ability to replay past levels
- More challenging and varied levels
- Improved progression and rewards system
- Better ad implementation or ad-free option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fishdom free?

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

### Is Sand Balls free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Fishdom or Sand Balls?

Fishdom is rated higher. Fishdom averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2M ratings, while Sand Balls averages 4.6 from 286K ratings.

### Do Fishdom or Sand Balls have ads?

Sand Balls shows ads; Fishdom does not.

### Which is updated more often, Fishdom or Sand Balls?

Fishdom ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sand Balls every 2 months. Most recently, Fishdom was updated on November 12, 2026 and Sand Balls on November 12, 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.*