Comparison

Scarlet Sails vs Drag Star!

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

Head to head
About

Scarlet Sails

Embark on an 80,000-word text-based adventure on the high seas. Make choices that shape your pirate's destiny, from their fighting style and magical abilities to their romantic pursuits and personal demons. Discover treasure, betrayal, and the possibility of true love.

Highlights
  • 80,000-word interactive novel
  • Choice-driven narrative
  • Customizable character personality
  • Multiple romance options
  • Text-based gameplay
  • Fantasy and pirate themes
Features
Read full description

Hoist the Jolly Roger and set sail to find the legendary Titan’s Treasure! Do you fight with a cutlass or with magic? Are you biding your time until you can shoot your captain in the back, or are you the reason the rum is gone? "Scarlet Sails" is an 80,000-word interactive novel by Felicity Banks, author of "Attack of the Clockwork Army" and "Bali B & B." Your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based–without graphics or sound effects–and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. • Enjoy an 80,000 word adventure on the high seas. • Choose your personality, fighting style, and magical skill. • Play as male or female or nonbinary; gay, straight, or asexual. • Choose who to love, including options for singlehood or polyamory. • Face the horrors of your past, and of the deep. • Find treasure, treachery, and maybe even true love.

About

Drag Star!

Step into the spotlight as a contestant on a reality TV drag competition. Make strategic choices to showcase your skills in singing, dancing, and comedy, while navigating rivalries and a potential saboteur to become the next drag icon.

Highlights
  • Play as diverse drag performers
  • Compete in singing, dancing, and comedy
  • Specialize your drag style
  • Build relationships with castmates
  • Solve a sabotage mystery
  • Win fan favorite or other titles
Features
Read full description

Get ready, honey! You're a contestant on Drag Star!, the reality TV drag competition. You better throw shade, serve looks, and slay each episode to become the next drag icon! "Drag Star!" is a 150,000-word interactive novel by Evan J. Peterson, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination (and sass). As a contestant on the newest season of Drag Star! You’ll prove your skills on the S.H.A.D.E. scale: Smarts, Humor, Artistry, Daring, and Enchantment. Through celebrity impersonation, singing, dancing, costuming, and comedy, you’ll need to be sickening in every stunt to win it all. But how will you steal the show? Enter the Twerkshop with your own catchphrase, meet your new drag family, and try to maintain self-care and integrity while still playing to win. How will you balance competing and bonding with castmates like Lady Kali, Scandal Dupree, and Dorian Slay? Oh, but there’s more. Not everyone is playing by the same rules—there’s a saboteur on the cast, waiting for the right opportunities to cause even more drama. Will you emerge as a finalist and grab the crown? Will you own the catwalk and the title of Fan Favorite? Will your wig stay on while you whip it back and forth? And will you be able to save the show from a devilish saboteur? • Play as a drag queen, a drag king, or a nonbinary or genderfluid performer. • Throw shade, turn looks on the catwalk, dance the house down, and write original jokes and song lyrics. • Compete against a diverse cast of fierce drag performers—or are you here to make friends? • Specialize your style: villainous or sweet, campy or elegant, classic or avant garde • Build your drag family: win episodes together, be a mentor, stoke or resolve rivalries. • Solve the mystery of the sabotage—or ignore that drama entirely. • Win Fan Favorite or Most Congenial. • Join the Abbey of the Perpetually Fabulous, a new drag religion. • Maintain your self-care or push yourself and take risks for more fan attention. • Make it as a finalist in Season Eight of Drag Star! and win the crown. Don’t be a filler contestant—slay your way to legendary status!

Screenshots

Scarlet Sails4 screens
Drag Star!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drag Star! at 100% against Scarlet Sails's 20%. Drag Star! also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 21 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Scarlet Sails sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drag Star! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drag Star! holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Scarlet Sails's written reviews are positive against 100% of Drag Star!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scarlet Sails ships an update every 21 months, Drag Star! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Scarlet Sails versus Drag Star!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScarlet SailsDrag Star!
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (18 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB29 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperHosted Games LLCChoice of Games LLC

Customer experience

Scarlet Sails

All ratings18 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Drag Star!

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Scarlet Sails

One-time1
  • Rest of the Game$3.99
1 purchases

Drag Star!

One-time1
  • Drag Star!$4.99

Questions

Is Scarlet Sails free?
Scarlet Sails is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drag Star! free?
Drag Star! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Scarlet Sails or Drag Star!?
Drag Star! is rated higher. Scarlet Sails averages 3.6 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Drag Star! averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Scarlet Sails or Drag Star! have ads?
Both Scarlet Sails and Drag Star! show ads.
Which is updated more often, Scarlet Sails or Drag Star!?
Scarlet Sails ships an update every 21 months, and Drag Star! every 5 months. Most recently, Scarlet Sails was updated on November 2, 2026 and Drag Star! on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons