# Galactic Colonies vs Mars Race

Galactic Colonies and Mars Race both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Mars Race's written reviews are positive against 70% of Galactic Colonies's. Mars Race also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). Galactic Colonies's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (297 vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Galactic Colonies sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Mars Race sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Galactic Colonies against 4.5 for Mars Race. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Galactic Colonies has 297 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Galactic Colonies's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mars Race's.

Galactic Colonies ships an update every 10 days, Mars Race every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Galactic Colonies | Mars Race |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (297 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galactic-colonies/id1240422237/reviews) | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-race/id1296888245/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **297** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 69.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 196 MB | 249 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MetalPop, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/885568833) | [aGame Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/765929434) |

## What reviewers say

### Galactic Colonies

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galactic-colonies/id1240422237)

Explore a vast, procedurally generated galaxy and build thriving colonies on alien worlds. Manage resources, establish production lines, and research new technologies to expand your civilization. Discover diverse planets and ensure your colonists survive in challenging environments.

**Highlights:** Procedurally generated universe exploration, Alien planet colonization, Technology research, Complex production pipelines, Colony ship upgrades, Diverse planet types

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Pack Of Energy Cells | $1.99 | one-time |
| Star Racer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cold Steel | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack Of Energy Cells | $4.99 | one-time |
| Skyward | $4.99 | one-time |
| Weekend Deal | $4.99 | one-time |
| Doubled Planet Boost Time | $4.99 | one-time |
| Colonizer's Bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| A Large Pack Of Energy Cells | $9.99 | one-time |
| Huge Pack Of Energy Cells | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly addictive and engaging
- 👍 Accessible for blind and visually impaired users
- 🎨 Great graphics and sound design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially with accessibility features
- 🔁 Repetitive and lacking variety in gameplay
- 💰 Unsustainable monetization model

**Reported bugs**

- Research projects getting stuck or going infinite
- Inability to connect buildings properly
- Inconsistent behavior of video rewards
- Crashes when trying to watch ads

**Requested features**

- Ability to relocate or remove buildings
- More varied mission objectives and planet types
- Improved navigation and map UI for accessibility
- Offline mode with background resource production


### Mars Race

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-race/id1296888245)

Build a Martian city by harvesting solar power and extracting water. Expand your territory by constructing drones to visit and compete with other players for resources, while defending your own colony.

**Highlights:** Martian city building, Resource harvesting (solar power, water), Drone construction for exploration and combat, Player versus player resource battles, Territory occupation on Mars

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Few | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pile | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bag | $18.99 | one-time |
| Box | $48.99 | one-time |
| Vault | $94.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Galactic Colonies free?

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

### Is Mars Race free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Galactic Colonies or Mars Race?

Galactic Colonies and Mars Race are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 297 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Galactic Colonies or Mars Race have ads?

Both Galactic Colonies and Mars Race show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Galactic Colonies or Mars Race?

Galactic Colonies ships an update every 10 days, and Mars Race every 6 months. Most recently, Galactic Colonies was updated on October 11, 2026 and Mars Race on October 3, 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.*