# Sand Trace vs Planetoids Vortex

The clearest difference is ads: Planetoids Vortex at none against Sand Trace's shown. Sand Trace's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Sand Trace ships an update fortnightly, Planetoids Vortex every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sand Trace | Planetoids Vortex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 10 days** |
| Size | 22 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HSIANG-YU HUANG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1155900519) | [Alphaworks](https://appshunter.io/developer/566963153) |

## What reviewers say

### Sand Trace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sand-trace-pixel-physics-sim/id6759260956)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Planetoids Vortex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetoids-vortex/id6760902890)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sand Trace free?

Sand Trace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Planetoids Vortex free?

Planetoids Vortex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Sand Trace or Planetoids Vortex have ads?

Sand Trace shows ads; Planetoids Vortex does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sand Trace or Planetoids Vortex?

Sand Trace ships an update fortnightly, and Planetoids Vortex every 10 days. Most recently, Sand Trace was updated on October 2, 2026 and Planetoids Vortex on October 14, 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.*