# Ethos Idle vs Santa's Workshop

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Santa's Workshop at none against Ethos Idle's 1. Santa's Workshop also leads on ads (none vs shown). Ethos Idle's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 60%) and ratings volume (242 vs 42). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Santa's Workshop asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Ethos Idle against 4.7 for Santa's Workshop. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ethos Idle has 242 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Ethos Idle's written reviews are positive against 60% of Santa's Workshop's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ethos Idle | Santa's Workshop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (242 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** | [4.7 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-workshop-idle-game/id6738013587/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **242** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | **84.4% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 101 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) | [aleros.io LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1552999210) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### 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 Ethos Idle free?

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

### Is Santa's Workshop free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ethos Idle or Santa's Workshop?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. Ethos Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 242 ratings, while Santa's Workshop averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.

### Do Ethos Idle or Santa's Workshop have ads?

Ethos Idle shows ads; Santa's Workshop does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ethos Idle or Santa's Workshop?

Ethos Idle ships an update every 3 weeks, and Santa's Workshop every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ethos Idle was updated on November 4, 2026 and Santa's Workshop on November 4, 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.*