Match 3* vs Sand Unblock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Match 3*
Score points by matching three or more identical shapes in a row. This tile-matching game offers a simple yet engaging puzzle experience.
- Match three or more identical shapes
- Score points
- Simple puzzle gameplay
- Engaging matching mechanics
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Score as many points as possible by matching three or more identical shapes in a row.
Sand Unblock
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Every level starts as a picture made of sand. One move later, it is a waterfall. Sand Unblock is a sliding-block puzzle with real falling sand. A drawing made of thousands of coloured grains rests on a wall of blocks. Drag the blocks out of the way, open a clear path, and the whole picture pours down through a steel funnel that sorts every grain by colour into its own glass bottle. Fill the bottles to the last grain and the level is yours. HOW IT PLAYS - Drag any block in any direction. Blocks never overlap and never leave the board. - Sand cannot pass through a block, and it never rests on one: it slides to the nearest edge and falls. - Open a full column from top to bottom and the whole picture rushes through at once. - The funnel sorts the grains by colour. One bottle per colour, filled perfectly flat. - A level is won only when 100% of the sand is bottled. 50 LEVELS, 50 PICTURES Flags, a rainbow, a heart, a rocket, a smiley, a goldfish: each level has its own sand painting, and each one ends up neatly sorted into bottles. The first levels take a single move. Later boards pack up to ten blocks and ask for a little planning, but never more than a handful of moves. It is a game for unwinding, not for getting stuck. NO STRINGS - No ads. Not one. - No purchases, nothing locked behind a paywall. - No account, no sign-in, no e-mail. - Plays offline, on the underground, on a plane, in a tunnel. Made for one hand and short sittings. Every level fits in a minute or two, and watching the sand fall is half the fun.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Sand Unblock at weekly against Match 3*'s fortnightly. Match 3*'s advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Match 3* ships an update fortnightly, Sand Unblock weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Match 3* | Sand Unblock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Berson | Thibault Leduc |
In-app purchases
Match 3*
No in-app purchases
Sand Unblock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Match 3* free?
Is Sand Unblock free?
Do Match 3* or Sand Unblock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Match 3* or Sand Unblock?
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