# Defender 1 vs Asteroid

The clearest difference is price: Asteroid at Free against Defender 1's $2.99. Asteroid also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 38 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 31%). Defender 1's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Asteroid is free to download; Defender 1 costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Asteroid holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Defender 1's written reviews are positive against 50% of Asteroid's.

Defender 1 ships an update every 38 months, Asteroid every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Defender 1 | Asteroid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/defender-1/id1038282445/reviews) | **[3.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteroid-a-cosmic-drift-off/id6473901437/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 31.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 38 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 45 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [APD Consulting, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/506064473) | [Aaditya Ajikumar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718433909) |

## What reviewers say

### Defender 1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/defender-1/id1038282445)

Relive a classic arcade experience by defending astronauts from alien abduction and destroying enemy ships. Be careful not to harm the astronauts, as their safety is crucial to preventing planetary destruction and mutant alien transformations.

**Highlights:** Defend astronauts from aliens, Obliterate enemy spaceships, Avoid friendly fire, Prevent planetary explosion, Mutant alien transformations

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful recreation of original game
- 🤩 Nostalgic experience
- 💰 Good value for price
- ✨ Good graphics
- 🕹️ Joystick option available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Awful, unresponsive controls
- 🐌 Very slow gameplay
- 💥 Frequent crashes
- 🔇 No sound or intermittent sound
- 🕹️ Poorly spaced controls

**Reported bugs**

- No sound on iPad
- No sound on iPhone
- Intermittent sound
- App crashes often
- Enemies don't move

**Requested features**

- Update to fix sound issues
- Update to fix crashing
- Enable game controller support
- Improve control responsiveness
- Adjust control spacing


### Asteroid

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteroid-a-cosmic-drift-off/id6473901437)

Navigate a fuel-less spaceship using weapon recoil to destroy asteroids and explore cosmic realms. Upgrade your ship, test your reflexes, and compete on global leaderboards in this dynamic 2D space game.

**Highlights:** Recoil-based navigation, Dynamic asteroid destruction, Ship upgrades and customization, Multiple cosmic environments, Global leaderboard competition, Infinite replayability

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Defender 1 free?

Defender 1 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Asteroid free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Defender 1 or Asteroid?

Asteroid is rated higher. Defender 1 averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Asteroid averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Defender 1 or Asteroid have ads?

Asteroid shows ads; Defender 1 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Defender 1 or Asteroid?

Defender 1 ships an update every 38 months, and Asteroid every 3 days. Most recently, Defender 1 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Asteroid on October 24, 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.*