# Ethos Idle vs Tower Sim

The clearest difference is rating: Ethos Idle at 4.8 against Tower Sim's 4.0. Ethos Idle also leads on ratings volume (239 vs 1). Tower Sim's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 84%). On price, update cadence, 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 Tower Sim 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ethos Idle has 239 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Ethos Idle's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tower Sim's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, Tower Sim every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ethos Idle | Tower Sim |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethos-idle/id6737059942/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tower-sim/id6756843476/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **239** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 84.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 101 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Graham Goldstein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618966149) | [Christian Puell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692567041) |

## 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


### Tower Sim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tower-sim/id6756843476)

Design and manage a towering skyscraper, from offices to penthouses. Master elevator logistics and keep diverse tenants happy amidst dynamic events and a day/night cycle. Balance your budget to grow your building into a five-star landmark.

**Highlights:** Complex simulation and budget management, Elevator logistics and tenant stress prevention, Diverse tenant types with unique needs, Dynamic day/night cycle, Challenging events and emergencies

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Access | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100.000 Budget | $0.99 | one-time |
| 250.000 Budget | $1.99 | one-time |
| Advance Access | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pro Access | $4.99 | one-time |
| All Access | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ethos Idle free?

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

### Is Tower Sim free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ethos Idle or Tower Sim?

Ethos Idle is rated higher. Ethos Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 239 ratings, while Tower Sim averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Ethos Idle or Tower Sim have ads?

Ethos Idle shows ads; Tower Sim does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ethos Idle or Tower Sim?

Ethos Idle ships an update fortnightly, and Tower Sim every 2 weeks. Most recently, Ethos Idle was updated on September 29, 2026 and Tower Sim on October 1, 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.*