# Mars Race vs Starborne Frontiers

Mars Race and Starborne Frontiers both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Mars Race's written reviews are positive against 56% of Starborne Frontiers's. Mars Race also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). Starborne Frontiers's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mars Race sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Starborne Frontiers sells 48 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Starborne Frontiers holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starborne Frontiers has 1.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Mars Race's written reviews are positive against 56% of Starborne Frontiers's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Mars Race ships an update every 6 months, Starborne Frontiers every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mars Race | Starborne Frontiers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-race/id1296888245/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starborne-frontiers/id1594574564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **1.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 56.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 249 MB | 920 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [aGame Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/765929434) | [Solid Clouds hf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1594574566) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Starborne Frontiers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starborne-frontiers/id1594574564)

Command a fleet of over 100 unique spaceships in this epic space strategy game. Explore a vast universe, engage in tactical battles, and uncover the secrets of the mysterious Abyss. Upgrade your ships, recruit powerful captains, and compete against other players.

**Highlights:** Collect and upgrade over 100 unique spaceships, Lead your crew into tactical space battles, Explore the non-linear Abyss for secrets and treasures, Engage in 6 diverse game modes, Master challenging boss encounters, Recruit captains with unique abilities

**In-app purchases (48)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bit License | $4.99 | per month |
| Credit License | $14.99 | per month |
| Defense Contract | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fleet Upgrades | $1.99 | one-time |
| Energy Boost | $2.99 | one-time |
| Rookie Expansion | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Promotion | $2.99 | one-time |
| Command Enhancement | $2.99 | one-time |
| Legendary Skills Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Epic Unit | $3.99 | one-time |
| Small Pack 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Tactical Tokens | $3.99 | one-time |
| Expedited Enlist | $4.99 | one-time |
| Rookie Armada | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Equipment | $4.99 | one-time |
| Seasonal Starter Deal | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 8 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 6 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 5 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 10 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 7 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 4 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Implant Package | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle 9 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Epic Units | $5.99 | one-time |
| Small Cache 8 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Small Cache 6 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate Starter | $6.99 | one-time |
| Commander Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Weekly Recruit Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Arm Up | $9.99 | one-time |
| Rookie Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium Pack 7 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Admiral Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Recruitment Offer | $19.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Bundle 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Seasonal Value Deal | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 7 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 2 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 3 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 8 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 5 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Substantial Cache 1 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Huge Bundle 7 | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun game with interesting progression
- 🚀 Nice design reminiscent of other space games
- 🚀 Awesome game, lots of fun
- 🚀 Great SCI-FI feel to hero collecting
- 🚀 Reasonable gatcha pity with generous rewards

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant crashes and disconnections during fights
- 🐛 Unstable and buggy, especially after updates
- 🐛 Crashes on loading screens and during battles
- 🐛 Crashes on older devices and iOS
- 🐛 Frequent crashes making the game unplayable

**Reported bugs**

- Constant crashes during battles
- Crashes on loading screens and campaign stages
- Account login issues and progress resets
- Compatibility problems on older devices

**Requested features**

- Better explanation of tactics and mechanics
- More online content and player-to-player interaction
- Improved stability and reduced crashes
- Ability to load saved game when switching devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mars Race free?

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

### Is Starborne Frontiers free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mars Race or Starborne Frontiers?

Starborne Frontiers is rated higher. Mars Race averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Starborne Frontiers averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Mars Race or Starborne Frontiers have ads?

Both Mars Race and Starborne Frontiers show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mars Race or Starborne Frontiers?

Mars Race ships an update every 6 months, and Starborne Frontiers every 11 days. Most recently, Mars Race was updated on October 3, 2026 and Starborne Frontiers on October 27, 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.*