# Sublight Empire vs GridLinx

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sublight Empire at none against GridLinx's 6. Sublight Empire also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 16 months). GridLinx's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. GridLinx sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Sublight Empire asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, GridLinx every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sublight Empire | GridLinx |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sublight-empire/id1303098306/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 16 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 3 MB | 159 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Enrico Unger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1303098305) | [Player1games Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1040547964) |

## 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


### GridLinx

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gridlinx/id1458926332)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gridlinx Skins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 10 time tokens | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 30 tokens special price | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gridlinx - No more ads special | $0.99 | one-time |
| No More Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy 30 time tokens | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sublight Empire free?

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

### Is GridLinx free?

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

### Do Sublight Empire or GridLinx have ads?

GridLinx shows ads; Sublight Empire does not.

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

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, and GridLinx every 16 months. Most recently, Sublight Empire was updated on October 7, 2026 and GridLinx on October 12, 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.*