Comparison

Cursor vs Planetoids Vortex

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

Head to head
About

Cursor

Use your mouse cursor to hunt down and destroy digital infections in this retro-style arcade game. Eradicate viruses quickly to save your system and achieve Super Cursor status for faster elimination.

Highlights
  • Retro-style arcade gameplay
  • Virus hunting and eradication
  • Tap and hold controls
  • Combo system for power-ups
  • Score-based competition
  • Suitable for short and long play sessions
Features
Read full description

Your computer has been infected. Become the Cursor and dive into a retro digital battlefield where viruses swarm across the screen in a fast-paced arcade shooter inspired by classic computer systems. Tap and hold to fly upward. Release to descend. Destroy viruses. Protect the system. The more enemies you eliminate in rapid succession, the stronger Cursor becomes. Build massive combos, grow into SUPER CURSOR mode, and wipe out entire waves of corrupted data before the system crashes. ■■ FEATURES ■■ • Unique mouse cursor spaceship gameplay • Retro computer & digital virus aesthetic • Fast arcade action with combo mechanics • Simple one-touch controls • Endless score-chasing gameplay • Explosions, pixel chaos, and satisfying destruction • Classic old-school arcade feeling • Optimized for short quick sessions or long play runs Can you clean the system before total shutdown?

About

Planetoids Vortex

Features
Read full description

Planetoids is a pixel-art arcade shooter for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. One ship. Endless asteroids. How long can you last? Inspired by the timeless Atari Asteroids, Planetoids brings the classic formula into the modern Apple ecosystem with a colour-coded asteroid system, power-up pickups, enemy saucers, and boss waves — all wrapped in a distinctive retro pixel aesthetic. THE FIELD Five asteroid colours. Each one behaves differently. Red moves fast. Green splits into three. Purple hunts you at close range. Orange drops power-ups when destroyed. Yellow blinds you on impact. Learning what each colour means — and adjusting your strategy accordingly — is the game within the game. YOUR SHIP Newtonian physics. No brakes. Thrust in one direction and you keep moving until you thrust the other way. Mastering your momentum is the entire skill of Planetoids. It takes minutes to learn and years to perfect. ENEMY SAUCERS Two types. The Large Saucer fires randomly — dangerous through bad luck alone. The Small Saucer aims directly at you with accuracy that improves every level. At 1,000 points it is the highest-value target in the game. It is also trying to kill you. POWER-UPS Spread Shot. Rapid Fire. Shield. Speed Boost. Score Multiplier. Five pickups drop from destroyed asteroids. Each lasts seconds. Each can turn a losing situation into a winning one — or tempt you into a mistake. BOSS WAVES Every five levels, a single enormous Planet Asteroid replaces the normal wave. Five hits to crack it open. Four large asteroids explode from the wreckage. The field is not clear when the boss breaks — it is just beginning. FEATURES • Gamepad support on all platforms — MFi, Xbox Series, PlayStation DualSense • Keyboard support on Mac — full arrow key and WASD • Touch controls on iPhone and iPad when no gamepad is connected • Windowed and fullscreen modes on Mac • Game Center leaderboards — All-Time, Weekly, and Highest Level • 17 achievements including secret challenges • iCloud sync — your high score follows you across every device • Dynamic Island support on iPhone 14 Pro and later • Haptic feedback on iPhone and iPad • No ads. No in-app purchases. No subscriptions. A NOTE ON DIFFICULTY Planetoids does not end. There is no final level, no credits sequence, no congratulation screen. The waves keep coming and they keep getting harder. The goal is simply to survive longer than you did last time. Every death is survivable in retrospect. The field is always fair. How far can you go?

Screenshots

Cursor4 screens
Planetoids Vortex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Planetoids Vortex at every 10 days against Cursor's every 14 months. Cursor's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cursor ships an update every 14 months, Planetoids Vortex every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Cursor versus Planetoids Vortex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCursorPlanetoids Vortex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCogoo Inc.Alphaworks

In-app purchases

None

Cursor

No in-app purchases

None

Planetoids Vortex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cursor free?
Cursor 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 Cursor or Planetoids Vortex have ads?
Neither Cursor nor Planetoids Vortex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cursor or Planetoids Vortex?
Cursor ships an update every 14 months, and Planetoids Vortex every 10 days. Most recently, Cursor was updated on October 16, 2026 and Planetoids Vortex on September 29, 2026.

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