# Nova Empire vs Starhaven

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starhaven at 100% against Nova Empire's 47%. Starhaven also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Nova Empire's advantage is ratings volume (5.1K vs 15). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nova Empire sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Starhaven asks for nothing beyond the download.

Starhaven holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Empire has 5.1K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Nova Empire's written reviews are positive against 100% of Starhaven's.

Nova Empire ships an update every 6 weeks, Starhaven every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nova Empire | Starhaven |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-empire-space-wars-mmo/id1295555672/reviews) | **[5.0 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starhaven/id6447084849/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.1K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 46.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1.8 GB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GameBear Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1295555671) | [Jared Prior](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530843930) |

## What reviewers say

### Nova Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-empire-space-wars-mmo/id1295555672)

Engage in epic galactic warfare with players worldwide in this next-generation online space strategy game. Build and customize your space station, design powerful fleets, and form alliances to conquer sectors of space. Experience real-time battles and strategic gameplay with stunning HD graphics.

**Highlights:** Real-time galactic battles, Alliance system for sector control, Fleet design and customization, Space station building, Recruit elite admirals, HD graphics and sound

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Special Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bonus Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ultra Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Large Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Prime Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Epic Pack | $99.99 | one-time |
| Dominator Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent graphics and gameplay
- 🔒 Secure and stable connection
- 👍 Engaging alliance and community features
- 🚀 Smooth progression for free-to-play players

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- ⏱️ Extremely long build/upgrade times
- 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics
- 🔒 Poor customer support and lack of responsiveness

**Reported bugs**

- Shields randomly deactivating during wars
- Disappearing ships and lost progress after crashes
- Inability to leave or switch alliances due to glitches

**Requested features**

- Ability to transfer resources between alliance members
- More diplomacy options between alliances
- Improved tutorial and onboarding for new players
- Larger and more diverse galaxy to explore


### Starhaven

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starhaven/id6447084849)

Explore a distant region of space, visiting planets and black holes. Engage in large-scale combat with enemy drones and compete with friends online through Game Center integration.

**Highlights:** Space exploration, Planet and black hole visits, Large-scale combat, Enemy drone ships, Multiplayer via Game Center, Online leaderboards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nova Empire free?

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

### Is Starhaven free?

Starhaven is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Nova Empire or Starhaven?

Starhaven is rated higher. Nova Empire averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Starhaven averages 5.0 from 15 ratings.

### Do Nova Empire or Starhaven have ads?

Neither Nova Empire nor Starhaven shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nova Empire or Starhaven?

Nova Empire ships an update every 6 weeks, and Starhaven every 3 days. Most recently, Nova Empire was updated on November 5, 2026 and Starhaven on November 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.*