# Ethos Idle vs Upload Labs

The clearest difference is rating: Ethos Idle at 4.8 against Upload Labs's 4.4. Ethos Idle also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Upload Labs's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ethos Idle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Upload Labs sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ethos Idle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 239 and 90 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Ethos Idle's written reviews are positive against 64% of Upload Labs's.

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, Upload Labs weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ethos Idle | Upload Labs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** | [4.4 (90 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upload-labs/id6746131706/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **239** | 90 |
| Positive reviews | **84.4% of reviews** | 64.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 101 MB | 168 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) | [EnigmaDev Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1722551461) |

## 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


### Upload Labs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upload-labs/id6746131706)

Build optimized node-based systems to manage computer components and processes. Research new technologies, hack organizations for intel, and code custom solutions. Develop an AI to boost income and achieve Artificial General Intelligence to save the universe.

**Highlights:** Node-based system building, Resource flow and data pipeline control, Research tree for new technologies, Strategic hacking for intel and resources, Custom code optimization and application development, AI development and evolution

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customizations | $3.99 | one-time |
| Daily Tokens | $3.99 | one-time |
| AD Converter | $4.99 | one-time |
| Daily Tokens+ | $5.99 | one-time |
| Chronomancer | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Boosts | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game
- 🚀 Insanely addictive
- 👍 Fantastic game
- 👍 Incredible game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Complications with UI and UX
- 🐛 Can't rotate left
- 🐛 Clunky touch controls
- 🐛 Hard to read text
- 🐛 Wires are hard to follow

**Reported bugs**

- Scrolling issues
- Full screen issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to rotate left
- Improve UI and UX
- Make text more readable
- Improve wire management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Is Upload Labs free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ethos Idle or Upload Labs?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. Ethos Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 239 ratings, while Upload Labs averages 4.4 from 90 ratings.

### Do Ethos Idle or Upload Labs have ads?

Both Ethos Idle and Upload Labs show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ethos Idle or Upload Labs?

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, and Upload Labs weekly. Most recently, Ethos Idle was updated on September 25, 2026 and Upload Labs on September 28, 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.*