PLANETS vs Space Sandbox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PLANETS
Explore the solar system in an interactive way. Navigate a spaceship to dock with planets and discover detailed information about each celestial body. An engaging educational experience for young learners.
- Interactive space exploration
- Learn about planets
- Navigate a spaceship
- Dock on planets
- Detailed planet information
Read full descriptionHide full description
PLANETS: Learn Mode is an interactive app that lets you learn about the planets! Move the spaceship around to dock on a planet and learn more!
Space Sandbox
Design and evolve your own universe with realistic physics and life simulation. Explore with friends in multiplayer modes like battle royale and racing, or build together. Customize your experience and witness cosmic events unfold.
- Infinite celestial body creation
- Realistic orbital mechanics
- Terraforming and life evolution
- Multiplayer modes (Battle Royale, Racing, Co-op)
- Time control for accelerated evolution
- Character customization
- 6 distinct game modes
Read full descriptionHide full description
CREATE. EVOLVE. EXPLORE. Space Sandbox is the ultimate universe simulation where you play god. Create entire solar systems from scratch, manipulate gravity, and witness the rise of civilizations. BUILD YOUR UNIVERSE • Infinite Creation: Spawn over 50 types of celestial bodies—from burning stars and gas giants to black holes and mysterious gem planets. • Realistic Physics: Master the art of orbital mechanics. Create binary star systems and watch real N-body physics in action. • Terraforming: Transform barren rocks into lush, habitable worlds. Control temperature and atmosphere to support life. LIFE EVOLUTION Guide life through 9 distinct eras: • Microscopic Bacteria • Sea Life & Land Animals • Dinosaurs • Civilization (Early to Industrial) • Space Age: Watch your creations launch their own ships! MULTIPLAYER SANDBOX Explore the galaxy with friends! • Team Battle Royale: Fight for dominance in shrinking solar zones. • Space Racing: Compete in high-speed races through asteroid fields. • Co-op Building: Construct massive space stations together. FEATURES • Time Control: Speed up time to see millions of years pass in seconds. • Meteorite Economy: Harvest resources to unlock rare celestial objects. • 11 Star Types: From massive blue giants to tiny red dwarfs. • Orbital Mechanics: Set realistic orbits with barycenter physics. • Temperature System: Heat planets to create habitable zones. • 6 Game Modes: Battle Royale, Deathmatch, CTF, Racing, Survival, Exploration. • Character Customization: Design your own space explorer. • Stunning Visuals: Beautiful 3D graphics optimized for iPhone and iPad. The universe is in your hands. What will you create?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PLANETS at 5.0 against Space Sandbox's 2.9. PLANETS also leads on iOS requirement (6.1 vs 18.5). Space Sandbox's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PLANETS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Sandbox has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | PLANETS | Space Sandbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 2.9 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 6.1 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Advaith Jagathesan | Marcus Lam |
In-app purchases
PLANETS
No in-app purchases
Space Sandbox
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PLANETS free?
Is Space Sandbox free?
Which has better reviews, PLANETS or Space Sandbox?
Do PLANETS or Space Sandbox have ads?
Other comparisons
