Comparison

Animatoon vs Sandcastles...

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

Head to head
About

Animatoon

Create and animate 3D voxel characters with an intuitive workflow. Model characters, pose them with keyframes and onion skinning, and export animations for use in other 3D software. Includes a built-in renderer and a library of animations and models.

Highlights
  • Voxel character modeling
  • Keyframe animation with onion skinning
  • Reusable animation clips
  • Built-in renderer with soft shadows and HDR lighting
  • Export to GLTF and FBX
  • Import VOX files from Magicavoxel
  • Gesture-driven controls
Features
Read full description

Anima Toon is a unique 3d modelling and animation program for creating and animating voxel characters easily. Model and animate a 3D character with keyframes using onion skin guides in order to pose your characters. Create and save clips of your animations to reuse and modify on other characters. Modify the character and then seamlessly switch back and forth with the animation scene. The built in renderer allows you to preview your character in modelling and animation modes with soft shadows and HDR lighting. Create infinite varieties of characters (including four legged animals )based on the character templates included along with access to a library of animations and models such as walks, runs, idles, fights etc. The timeline allows you to copy, paste and delete keyframes along with simple navigation to zoom in and out of frames. The intuitive rig controllers have smart manipulator guides to accurately pose and animate your characters. Gesture driven controls allow frame operations to be done with speed and precision. Export your 3D animations as .GLTF and .FBX files so you can import them in popular packages such as Blender, Maya, Unreal and Unity 3d. Import .VOX files from Magicavoxel to seamlessly add backgrounds to your character animations. *Non-linear character animation and 3d modelling workflow *Infinite variations based on inbuilt rigs and library animations *Export as .GLTF runtime animations to use in Blender, Maya, 3dsMax,Unity 3D etc *Save animations as clips to reuse and share animations *MP4 export for quick renders and sharing *Import .VOX files from your favourite voxel creation packages such as Magicavoxel *Import and export scenes for collaborative workflow *Audio functionality: Import .MP3 and .WAV ,Scrub in timeline and export out with MP4 *Demos and tutorials for learning are bundled inside the app *Apple Pencil support for modelling and painting in 3D *Ambient Occlusion mode for previewing renders in realtime *Dozens of in-built library characters *Reusable animations for basic walks, runs, attacks, idles etc... Designed for animators, by animators Anima Toon can be used by beginners and pros to create 3D character animations intuitively and easily. Anima Toon has been created by Appy Monkeys, an award winning app developer with 10 years of experience in creating fun and intuitive creativity apps with over 10 million downloads on the App store and recipient of various awards such as Children's Tech Review and Purdue University's guide for STEM apps Animatoon Home Page: https://www.animatoon.org/ Animatoon Demo Videos: https://www.animatoon.org/videos.html

About

Sandcastles...

Build intricate sandcastles on a virtual beach. Enjoy a relaxing experience with realistic sea sounds and unlimited sand. Unlock additional castle styles through in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Build sandcastles
  • Unlimited sand
  • Seaside sounds
  • Additional castle styles
  • Intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

Conjure castles from the sand, watch the sea consume them. Features: • A simple, intuitive interface. • Unlimited sand. • Pleasant seaside sounds. A bundle of six additional styles of sandcastle is available as an In-App Purchase.

Screenshots

Animatoon4 screens
Sandcastles...2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sandcastles... at every 5 days against Animatoon's every 2 months. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Animatoon sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Sandcastles... sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sandcastles... holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 405 and 251 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Animatoon's written reviews are positive against 45% of Sandcastles...'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Animatoon ships an update every 2 months, Sandcastles... every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Animatoon versus Sandcastles...: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnimatoonSandcastles...
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (405 ratings)3.3 (251 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.4% of reviews45.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings405 — better251
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size294 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArjun GupteVectorpark

Customer experience

Animatoon

All ratings405 ratings
Positive47.4%
Neutral9.1%
Negative43.5%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive43.4%
Neutral15.8%
Negative40.8%

Sandcastles...

All ratings251 ratings
Positive54.6%
Neutral6.8%
Negative38.6%
Written reviews347 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative46.1%

User reviews

Animatoon

From 405 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Simple animation tools
  • 💡 Helpful tutorial

Room to improve

  • 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 🔒 Limited free character options
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes

Sandcastles...

From 251 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Relaxing and calming experience
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
  • 🧘‍♀️ Helps with mindfulness and meditation

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Waves come too quickly, not enough time to build
  • 💰 Paid options for additional castle styles are overpriced
  • 🤔 Unclear purpose or goal, lacks depth
  • 🙄 Repetitive and boring for some users

Bugs and requests

Animatoon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Difficulty posing characters
  • Animations not saving properly
  • Frequent freezing issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free character models
  • Ability to import custom models
  • Expanded animation tools
  • Better camera controls

Sandcastles...

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional lag or performance issues
  • Inconsistent wave behavior, sometimes gets stuck

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow users to control the wave timing
  • Introduce more variety in castle designs and building options
  • Add gameplay elements like challenges or scoring
  • Expand the app with new environments beyond just the beach

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Animatoon

One-time2
  • Discount to Unlock Pro$3.99
  • Upgrade to Pro$9.99
1 purchases

Sandcastles...

One-time1
  • All Sandcastle Styles$1.99

Questions

Is Animatoon free?
Animatoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sandcastles... free?
Sandcastles... is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Animatoon or Sandcastles...?
Sandcastles... is rated higher. Animatoon averages 3.1 out of 5 from 405 ratings, while Sandcastles... averages 3.3 from 251 ratings.
Do Animatoon or Sandcastles... have ads?
Neither Animatoon nor Sandcastles... shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Animatoon or Sandcastles...?
Animatoon ships an update every 2 months, and Sandcastles... every 5 days. Most recently, Animatoon was updated on October 11, 2026 and Sandcastles... on October 13, 2026.

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