# Sublight Empire vs Stellar Wind Idle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sublight Empire at none against Stellar Wind Idle's 10. Sublight Empire also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Stellar Wind Idle's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (649 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stellar Wind Idle sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Sublight Empire asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sublight Empire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellar Wind Idle has 649 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, Stellar Wind Idle every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sublight Empire | Stellar Wind Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sublight-empire/id1303098306/reviews)** | [4.7 (649 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-wind-idle-space-rpg/id1662197880/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **649** |
| Positive reviews | — | 67.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 760 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Enrico Unger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1303098305) | [Entropy Games Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1662197882) |

## 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


### Stellar Wind Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-wind-idle-space-rpg/id1662197880)

Explore a galaxy in chaos, building and customizing spaceships to battle endless enemy hordes. Investigate different worlds and uncover a developing story to restore order.

**Highlights:** Varied spaceships with unique strengths, Customizable ships with modules, Engaging spaceship combat, Auto battles and offline progress, Large campaign map with story, Galaxy exploration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Start Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer (1.99$) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Daily Progress Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer ($4.99) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Yorktown Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer (9.99$) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Supernova Psionic Hook | $19.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer (19.99$) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer (29.99$) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Personal Offer (99.99$) | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sublight Empire free?

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

### Is Stellar Wind Idle free?

Stellar Wind Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sublight Empire or Stellar Wind Idle?

Sublight Empire is rated higher. Sublight Empire averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Stellar Wind Idle averages 4.7 from 649 ratings.

### Do Sublight Empire or Stellar Wind Idle have ads?

Neither Sublight Empire nor Stellar Wind Idle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sublight Empire or Stellar Wind Idle?

Sublight Empire ships an update every 6 months, and Stellar Wind Idle every 10 days. Most recently, Sublight Empire was updated on November 4, 2026 and Stellar Wind Idle on November 8, 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.*