Comparison

Mars vs Grid Wave

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

Head to head
About

Mars

Embark on a thrilling space adventure as a volunteer on a mission to Mars. Pilot a jetpack to explore the Martian surface, capture unique selfies, and navigate the challenges of interplanetary travel. Prove the doubters wrong and make history on this groundbreaking expedition.

Highlights
  • Explore Mars on a jetpack
  • Take selfies on Mars
  • Avoid Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies
  • Discover Martian sights
  • Volunteer for a space mission
Features
Read full description

MarsCorp is ready to take the first group of volunteers on an exciting mission to Mars! Fly around Mars in one of our brand new jetpacks and discover what’s out there. As part of the “Put A Human On Mars No Matter What” program, we are proud to announce that MarsCorp is the first company cutting enough corners to make human flights to Mars finally viable. So-called “professional” astronauts will tell you things like “No sane person would travel across space on that thing” or “The fuel on that jetpack lasts about 30 seconds”, but you can prove them wrong! Here’s your chance to make history! - Explore Mars on a jetpack. - Take selfies on Mars's greatest sightings. - Avoid Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies. - Have fun!

About

Grid Wave

A satisfying block puzzle game where you drag pieces onto a board to clear rows and columns. Compete for high scores, complete handcrafted levels, and tackle daily challenges. Power-ups and cosmetic unlocks add strategic depth.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop block placement
  • Clear rows and columns
  • Endless, Campaign, and Daily Challenge modes
  • Power-ups like Bomb and Line Blast
  • Global leaderboards and weekly leagues
  • Unlock cosmetic themes and boosters
Features
Read full description

Grid Wave is a satisfying block puzzle: drag pieces onto a 6×6 board, clear full rows and columns, and chase your best score. Simple to learn, hard to put down. Every placement matters. Chain combos, build streaks, and watch the board light up when multiple lines clear at once. THREE WAYS TO PLAY Endless Classic high-score mode with adaptive difficulty. Terrain waves shake up the board, gem cells reward smart clears, and the challenge keeps climbing. Campaign 30+ handcrafted levels, then infinite procedurally generated puzzles. Clear lines, hit score targets, collect gems, and earn up to 3 stars per level. Daily Challenge One shared puzzle for the whole world, every day. One attempt. Build your streak and see how you stack up. CLIMB THE LEADERBOARDS Set a username and compete on global leaderboards. Join weekly leagues, climb ranks, hit milestones, and see where you stand against players worldwide. POWER UP YOUR RUN Charge your power bar by clearing lines, then unleash Bomb, Line Blast, and Rainbow tiles to turn a tough board around. Collect gems in every mode to unlock cosmetic themes, equip boosters for Endless runs, and access bonus gem levels in Campaign. BUILT FOR QUICK SESSIONS • Drag-and-drop pieces with a live ghost preview • Satisfying clear animations, haptics, and sound • Global leaderboards and weekly leagues • First-run tutorial — learn in under a minute • Missions and weekly gem hunts to keep you coming back • Portrait play, dark mode, offline-friendly FREE TO PLAY Grid Wave is free to download and play. Optional ads appear at natural break points. Remove interstitial ads forever with a one-time Ad Free + purchase — plus free undo and hint every run, instant reward claims, and 150 gems to start. Rewarded ads remain available for optional revives and bonus gems. No account required. No login. Just play.

Screenshots

Mars4 screens
Grid Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Grid Wave at every 2 days against Mars's monthly. Grid Wave also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). Mars's advantage is ratings volume (22K vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Mars sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Grid Wave 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

Grid Wave holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars has 22K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Mars's written reviews are positive against 100% of Grid Wave's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars ships an update monthly, Grid Wave every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mars versus Grid Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarsGrid Wave
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (22K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22K — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size256 MB11 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPomelo GamesVIskara Innovation Private Limited

Customer experience

Mars

All ratings21,739 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews1,811 reviews
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.0%

Grid Wave

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Mars

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when taking selfies
  • Streak resets when returning to a previous level
  • Inconsistent controls and fuel usage

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add new planets and environments to explore
  • Introduce different gameplay modes (e.g., time trials, challenges)
  • Allow players to customize platforms and backgrounds
  • Implement a way to revisit previous levels

Grid Wave

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Mars

One-time10
  • Arnold$0.99
  • Little Martha$0.99
  • Marselot$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Nigiri$0.99
  • Ufo$0.99
  • Discman$0.99
  • Kestrel 5$0.99
  • Eagle$0.99
  • Stephen$3.99
  • El Dorado$3.99
1 purchases

Grid Wave

One-time1
  • Ad Free Plus$4.99

Questions

Is Mars free?
Mars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grid Wave free?
Grid Wave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mars or Grid Wave?
Grid Wave is rated higher. Mars averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Grid Wave averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Mars or Grid Wave have ads?
Both Mars and Grid Wave show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mars or Grid Wave?
Mars ships an update monthly, and Grid Wave every 2 days. Most recently, Mars was updated on October 13, 2026 and Grid Wave on October 7, 2026.

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