# Stormbound vs Nova Island

The clearest difference is ads: Nova Island at none against Stormbound's shown. Stormbound's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 237) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stormbound sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Nova Island sells 66 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stormbound holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stormbound has 9.1K ratings behind it against 237, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Stormbound's written reviews are positive against 60% of Nova Island's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stormbound | Nova Island |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stormbound/id1234446615/reviews)** | [4.3 (237 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.1K** | 237 |
| Positive reviews | **63.5% of reviews** | 60.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 526 MB | 262 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Stormbound Games Sp. z o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803661956) | [Thirteen Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526357113) |

## What reviewers say

### Stormbound

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stormbound/id1234446615)

Engage in strategic turn-based tactical battles by building a powerful deck of collectible cards. Outsmart opponents worldwide in real-time PVP, customize your profile, and compete for seasonal rewards.

**Highlights:** Deck building, Collectible cards, Turn-based tactical battles, Real-time PVP, Four distinct kingdoms, Seasonal events and rewards, Profile customization

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium pass | $7.99 | per month |
| Daily resources | $1.99 | one-time |
| Daily cards | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Handful of Rubies | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Generic package 7$ | $6.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $7.99 | one-time |
| Shredded Journal | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tribal Tome | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bunch of Rubies | $9.99 | one-time |
| Weekly cards | $9.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Rubies | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Better than Clash Royale
- 🔒 No ads
- 👍 Fantastic game
- 👍 Fun and creative cards
- 👍 Cohesive combat

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Pay to win
- 🐛 Unbalanced cards
- 🐛 Unfair matchmaking
- 🐛 Slow progression for F2P
- 🐛 Frustrating level caps

**Reported bugs**

- Login/loading issues
- Card placement bugs
- Deck editing problems
- Inconsistent card rotation

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- Clan/guild system
- Chat functionality
- Spectate mode
- Leaderboard/ranking display


### Nova Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111)

Engage in strategic card battles with cute anime-inspired characters. Collect friends, powers, and skins while competing in PvP matches or embarking on an adventure. Build decks and master unique playstyles.

**Highlights:** Collectible card battles, Strategic deck building, PvP and PvE modes, Character collection, Cosmetic customization, Daily challenges, Draft mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (66)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 90 Island Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Researcher’s Starter Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Emotes Bundle1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Juice Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Max Halloween Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Artillery Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Doodle Branehart Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| 75 Island Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Power Outage Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Researcher's Starter Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Rerun Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sprynk Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hackmaster Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Escape Pod Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Novas Special BF | $1.99 | one-time |
| Food Emote Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Legendary Skin | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cannonball Level Up | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mage Rerun | $2.99 | one-time |
| Oddball Filthy Clean Skin | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Level Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| New Season Novium Special | $2.99 | one-time |
| Greenhouse Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Daily Login Bonus | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rainbow Gemma Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gemma Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| EOY Winter Skins 2024 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Sparki | $3.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Giving Tree | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Kitten | $3.99 | one-time |
| Arcade Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ghost Blazer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Candy Weade | $3.99 | one-time |
| Frankenjazzy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 575 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| ULTIMATE Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bloom King BC Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80s Sparki | $4.99 | one-time |
| Observatory Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 225 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Intranet Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Activation Starter Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| One Cent and IP | $6.99 | one-time |
| Khrys and Flutter | $6.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Cats | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1175 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle 5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack C | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hooligan Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack B | $9.99 | one-time |
| 480 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ancient 9 Skins | $14.99 | one-time |
| EOY Credits Special 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2400 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Boost Pack C | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1020 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2155 Island Credits | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Unique gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Appealing art style and animations
- 💰 Completely free-to-play, no pay-to-win
- 🕹️ Engaging strategic depth
- 🌟 Underrated and deserves more attention

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎲 Excessive reliance on RNG
- 🔁 Repetitive and swingy gameplay
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy unlock system
- ⚖️ Unbalanced card/character power levels
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and connectivity issues

**Reported bugs**

- Soft-locking tutorial
- Inconsistent performance on some devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode or paid full version
- Ability to play with friends
- More character/card customization options
- Improved tutorial and onboarding experience


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stormbound free?

Stormbound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nova Island free?

Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Stormbound or Nova Island?

Stormbound is rated higher. Stormbound averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Nova Island averages 4.3 from 237 ratings.

### Do Stormbound or Nova Island have ads?

Stormbound shows ads; Nova Island does not.

### Which is updated more often, Stormbound or Nova Island?

Stormbound ships an update every 3 weeks, and Nova Island every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stormbound was updated on October 30, 2026 and Nova Island on October 22, 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.*