# Ethos Idle vs Scratch Inc.

The clearest difference is ads: Scratch Inc. at none against Ethos Idle's shown. Scratch Inc. also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 239). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Scratch Inc. sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Ethos Idle against 4.7 for Scratch Inc.. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scratch Inc. has 1.9K ratings behind it against 239, 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 93% of Scratch Inc.'s.

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, Scratch Inc. every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ethos Idle | Scratch Inc. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scratch-inc/id6745529538/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 239 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 84.4% of reviews | **93.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 101 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) | [Makopaz LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1479952757) |

## 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


### Scratch Inc.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scratch-inc/id6745529538)

An idle incremental game where you build an empire by scratching cards and earning points. Upgrade your cards, unlock automation, and prestige to progress faster. Enjoy endless upgrades, achievements, and global leaderboards with no ads or wait timers.

**Highlights:** Endless Upgrades, Prestige for Progress, Achievements with Rewards, Global Leaderboards, Playable Offline, No Ads

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20 Gold | $1.99 | one-time |
| 55 Gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| 120 Gold | $9.99 | one-time |
| 260 Gold | $19.99 | one-time |
| 750 Gold | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🚀 Satisfying idle mechanics
- 💡 Active developer listening to feedback
- 👍 Optional in-app purchases
- 👍 Polished interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 In-app purchases feel expensive
- 🔧 Needs more balance and content
- 🐛 Offline rewards not working consistently

**Reported bugs**

- Offline rewards rarely triggering
- Lacking sound effects

**Requested features**

- More skin tone options for avatar
- Better variety and more offline rewards


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Is Scratch Inc. free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ethos Idle or Scratch Inc.?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. Ethos Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 239 ratings, while Scratch Inc. averages 4.7 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Ethos Idle or Scratch Inc. have ads?

Ethos Idle shows ads; Scratch Inc. does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ethos Idle or Scratch Inc.?

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, and Scratch Inc. every 3 days. Most recently, Ethos Idle was updated on September 16, 2026 and Scratch Inc. on September 22, 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.*