# Earth Editor vs Contraptor

The clearest difference is ads: Contraptor at none against Earth Editor's shown. Contraptor also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Earth Editor's advantage is ratings volume (919 vs 4) and rating (4.3 vs 4.0). On price, 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.

Earth Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Earth Editor has 919 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Earth Editor's written reviews are positive against 100% of Contraptor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Earth Editor ships an update every 4 months, Contraptor every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth Editor | Contraptor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (919 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-editor/id968975804/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contraptor/id6772646468/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **919** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 78.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DAN-BALL](https://appshunter.io/developer/348592290) | [John Coumerilh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1157188388) |

## What reviewers say

### Earth Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-editor/id968975804)

Create your own world by placing various elements like sand, water, and lava on a gravity field. This simulation game allows for boundless creativity in designing unique planetary landscapes. Explore the possibilities of a sandbox environment where you are the architect of your own planet.

**Highlights:** World creation sandbox, Gravity field simulation, Place sand, water, seeds, lava, Creative planetary design, Element interaction

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Satisfying and fun
- 👍 No ads feature
- 👍 Relaxing and addictive
- 👍 Interesting physics and elements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Limited elements and features
- 🔍 Dot/pixel limit
- 💸 Ads can be intrusive

**Reported bugs**

- Black holes causing glitches
- Ice not freezing water properly
- Cloned elements not behaving as expected

**Requested features**

- More elements and materials to experiment with
- Ability to save multiple worlds
- Zoom and camera controls
- Realistic physics and behaviors (e.g. sand sinking in water)
- Ability to create life, animals, or civilizations


### Contraptor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contraptor/id6772646468)

Create intricate machines to solve physics-based puzzles. Design your own challenges, share them with the community, and compete on leaderboards. Learn physics principles through hands-on tutorials.

**Highlights:** Build with real 2D physics, Solve community challenges, Design and share custom puzzles, Climb leaderboards, Hands-on tutorials, Universal app for iPhone and iPad

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Earth Editor free?

Earth Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Contraptor free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Earth Editor or Contraptor?

Earth Editor is rated higher. Earth Editor averages 4.3 out of 5 from 919 ratings, while Contraptor averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Earth Editor or Contraptor have ads?

Earth Editor shows ads; Contraptor does not.

### Which is updated more often, Earth Editor or Contraptor?

Earth Editor ships an update every 4 months, and Contraptor every 3 days. Most recently, Earth Editor was updated on October 16, 2026 and Contraptor on October 5, 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.*