Kernel King vs Star Colony
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kernel King
Tap to create an endless stream of popcorn in this addictive idle game. Invest in upgrades to pop faster, earn more, and unlock new poppers. Compete with friends and aim to become the ultimate Kernel King.
- Tap to make popcorn
- Investments for faster popping
- Upgrade popper and recipe
- Offline kernel earnings
- Unlockable poppers
- Prestige system
- Bonuses and multipliers
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Tap to make popcorn! In this super simple yet insanely addicting game you'll be making more popcorn than you'll know what to do with. Tap to make popcorn in a meeting, during class, on the bus, waiting in line. Once you start popping you won't be able to stop. Your friends and family start to worry about when they haven't seen you in days. You are up to your eyes in popcorn. You begin to dream in popcorn. You only take breaks from popping popcorn to eat popcorn. There is only one goal. Become the Kernel King. Kernel King features: -Simple game mechanics - Tap to make popcorn -Investments to pop even faster - Once you start popping you'll be hard to stop -Upgrade your popper - Earn more kernels per second -Upgrade your recipe - Earn more kernels per click -Upgrade your status - Earn more kernels while you're not popping -Buy a bucket to collect popcorn while you're eating popcorn - Most have figured out how to eat and pop at the same time so you run the risk of falling behind with this tactic -Over 10 different poppers to unlock - Collect them all and show off to your friends -Game Center - Know exactly how close you are to being the king -Share on Facebook and Twitter - Let your friends know how far they are behind -Prestige and pop kernels even faster - It's harder to stay at the top than it is to get there -Bonuses and Multipliers - Earn bonuses and multipliers to start rolling in popcorn Everyone else has already started, but there is still hope. Download today for free and start your journey to the top. There can be only one Kernel King. Are you the one?
Star Colony
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Expand your colony, automate production, and build a space empire from nothing. Star Colony is an idle colony builder inspired by the satisfying progression of clicker and incremental games. Start small, earn credits, unlock powerful upgrades, and scale your colony into a massive operation across the stars. Keep tapping, keep upgrading, and keep growing while your empire generates progress over time. Features: • Fast and satisfying idle progression • Tap-to-earn gameplay with meaningful upgrades • Automation systems that grow your income • Space-themed colony building and expansion • Offline-style progress and incremental growth • Easy to learn, hard to put down
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Kernel King at every 6 days against Star Colony's every 3 weeks. Kernel King also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.1). 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
Both are free to download. Kernel King sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Star Colony sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Kernel King ships an update every 6 days, Star Colony every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kernel King | Star Colony |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (40 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 89.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blake Eckert | MARTIN M J LYNCH |
Bugs and requests
Kernel King
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game crashes and forces user to home screen
- Data loss when game crashes
- Game won't start without reviewing or advertising
- Glitches causing loss of progress
Requested features
4 requests- Timer mode to track kernels earned
- Upgrade levels with multipliers for easier progression
- Better tutorial or onboarding instructions
- More diverse upgrades and features
Star Colony
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Kernel King
- Double Kernels Per Second$0.99
- Double Kernels$0.99
- Remove Ads$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Kernel Blast$1.99
- Shaker of Salt$1.99
- Treadmill$1.99
- King Kernel$4.99
- Salt Mine$9.99
- Kernel Bomb$19.99
- Forever 20x$49.99
Star Colony
- 50 Gems$0.99
- 220 Gems$3.99
- 575 Gems$7.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 1200 Gems$14.99








