Comparison

Moonshot vs Sand Explorer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Moonshot

Launch quirky characters across diverse worlds using simple one-thumb controls. Upgrade your slingshot and abilities to achieve greater distances and earn in-game currency. Explore unique environments and discover new heroes on your journey to the Moon.

Highlights
  • One-thumb slingshot controls
  • Roster of unique characters
  • 7 diverse worlds to explore
  • 7 upgrade tracks for abilities
  • In-air boosts and super-bounces
  • Earn coins through gameplay
Features
Read full description

Meet Grubb. He's a dented potato with one tooth and mismatched eyes — and he is going to the Moon. Slingshot the world's least likely heroes as far as they'll fly. Boost mid-air, slam into super-bounces, skip across oceans, ride volcano updrafts, and chain halo rings through a gorgeous, smug sky — then spend your coins on a stronger sling and go again. The world is beautiful. Your critter is not. That's the point. • One-thumb slingshot controls — three seconds to learn • A roster of lovable rejects: a lost sock, a sticky blob, a pimple with tiny angry eyebrows, and a moth named Karen who would rather be at a lamp • 7 worlds: meadows, dunes, ocean, ice, volcano, clouds… and the Moon at 10,000 m • 7 upgrade tracks that visibly change how you fly • The sky pays skill: halo rings, star chests, storm puffs, and air currents • Feed Sock once a day and he joins you in a week — missed days never punish you • Optional $0.99 extras (a greasy uncle, a few silly trails): buy once, keep forever • Everything else is earned by playing. Coins are never for sale. No account. No sign-in. Nothing to collect. Just you, a lumpy hero, and 10,000 meters of sky.

About

Sand Explorer

Engage in a relaxing puzzle game where you clear sand art by matching colors. Strategically choose buckets and send them onto a conveyor belt to fill them with matching sand, revealing the artwork layer by layer. Limited space requires careful planning to succeed.

Highlights
  • Tap-to-play color matching
  • Satisfying sand-flow effects
  • Limited queue space for planning
  • Playful pixel-style sand pictures
  • Progressive new color combinations
  • Relaxing rhythm with thoughtful challenge
Read full description

Plan Buckets. Clear Sand Art. Every sand picture hides a smart little puzzle. Study the colors, choose a bucket, and send it onto the belt. When the colors match, sand pours into the bucket and the picture clears away layer by layer. The controls are simple, but the order matters. Belt space is limited, and the wrong choice can crowd your queue. Look ahead, plan each move, and collect every color to complete the artwork. FEATURES • Simple tap-to-play color matching • Smooth, satisfying sand-flow effects • Limited queue space that rewards planning • Playful pixel-style sand pictures • New color combinations and layouts as you progress • A relaxing rhythm with a thoughtful challenge Plan the order and let the colors flow. Your next sand picture is waiting.

Screenshots

Moonshot4 screens
Sand Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Moonshot at none against Sand Explorer's 16. Sand Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (23 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sand Explorer sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Moonshot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Moonshot against 5.0 for Sand Explorer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sand Explorer has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Moonshot versus Sand Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoonshotSand Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (23 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings123 — better
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB189 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew GirardTDD

Customer experience

Moonshot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sand Explorer

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Moonshot

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

Sand Explorer

One-time16
  • 1000 Gold$1.99
  • Explorer’s Treasure$3.99
  • Medium Bundle$5.99
Show 13 more
  • 5000 Gold$5.99
  • Small Pack$8.99
  • Epic Pack$9.99
  • Special Pack$9.99
  • 10000 Gold$11.99
  • Great Pack$18.99
  • Legendary Bundle$19.99
  • 25000 Gold$29.99
  • 30000 Gold$29.99
  • 55000 Gold$49.99
  • 50000 Gold$54.99
  • 100000 Gold$99.99
  • 125000 Gold$99.99

Questions

Is Moonshot free?
Moonshot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sand Explorer free?
Sand Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Moonshot or Sand Explorer?
Moonshot and Sand Explorer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 23 ratings respectively.
Do Moonshot or Sand Explorer have ads?
Neither Moonshot nor Sand Explorer shows ads.

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