Swimming pool filters clogging with a lot of organic matter
The main difference is that the sand filter traps larger particles by allowing them to settle to the bottom of the filter tank. This gets the bulk of your problematic stuff out of the water, but it doesn't necessarily take care of everything in the water either. Sand filters can allow the pool to become cloudy because the particles are too fine to settle.

Sand filters also require a periodic backwash. You change the mode of the sand filter to backwash and, when you engage the pump, the water turns a giant paddle at the bottom of the tank. This stirs the sand up and ejects it via the water moving from the pump into your waste line. You then have to follow this with a rinse, to push any remaining floating materials out of the tank, and settle (also a waste ejection).