# Sublight Empire vs DrillKing

The clearest difference is rating: Sublight Empire at 5.0 against DrillKing's 2.5. Sublight Empire also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). DrillKing's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DrillKing sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Sublight Empire asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sublight Empire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, DrillKing weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sublight Empire | DrillKing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sublight-empire/id1303098306/reviews)** | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drillking-new-frontier/id1326735926/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | — | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 145 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **7.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Enrico Unger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1303098305) | [JINOH Cho](https://appshunter.io/developer/893107640) |

## What reviewers say

### Sublight Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sublight-empire/id1303098306)

Experience a unique 4X space strategy game where actions and events unfold over years due to the speed of light limitations. Explore, colonize, and conquer star systems to achieve galactic dominance.

**Highlights:** Relativistic speed of light mechanics, Real-time command propagation delays, Explore and colonize star systems, Defend and conquer colonies, Classic 4X gameplay, Galactic conquest objective

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### DrillKing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drillking-new-frontier/id1326735926)

Explore alien planets, mine valuable minerals, and construct your own colony. Upgrade your drill and facilities to unlock new technologies and help your home world. Strategic planning is key to success in this interstellar resource-gathering adventure.

**Highlights:** Explore 5 distinctive planets, Mine minerals and resources, Build and upgrade colony infrastructure, Develop new technologies, Complete quests for rewards, Trade for minerals

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DrillKing 100 Stars | $0.99 | one-time |
| DrillKing 350 Stars | $2.99 | one-time |
| DrillKing 1500 Stars | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sublight Empire free?

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

### Is DrillKing free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sublight Empire or DrillKing?

Sublight Empire is rated higher. Sublight Empire averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while DrillKing averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Sublight Empire or DrillKing have ads?

Neither Sublight Empire nor DrillKing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sublight Empire or DrillKing?

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, and DrillKing weekly. Most recently, Sublight Empire was updated on November 4, 2026 and DrillKing on November 2, 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.*