# Hourglass vs MindAstra

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hourglass at none against MindAstra's 1. Hourglass also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). MindAstra's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MindAstra sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hourglass asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hourglass ships an update every 4 days, MindAstra fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hourglass | MindAstra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Size | 27 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [kenji abe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1461779902) | [丽敏 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/6804532648) |

## What reviewers say

### Hourglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-physics-simulation/id6670490622)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### MindAstra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindastra-visual-mind-map/id6812336369)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MindAstra Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hourglass free?

Hourglass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MindAstra free?

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

### Do Hourglass or MindAstra have ads?

Hourglass shows ads; MindAstra does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hourglass or MindAstra?

Hourglass ships an update every 4 days, and MindAstra fortnightly. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on November 12, 2026 and MindAstra on November 13, 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.*