# Nodeshifter vs Planetary Idle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nodeshifter at none against Planetary Idle's 3. Nodeshifter also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (79% vs 50%). Planetary Idle's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Planetary Idle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Nodeshifter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Planetary Idle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 76 and 77 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Nodeshifter's written reviews are positive against 50% of Planetary Idle's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Nodeshifter ships an update every 2 months, Planetary Idle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nodeshifter | Planetary Idle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nodeshifter/id1331367687/reviews) | **[4.8 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-idle/id6450142774/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 76 | **77** |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 167 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bottled Galaxy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1267483599) | [Roberto Frias Nerio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692039143) |

## What reviewers say

### Nodeshifter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nodeshifter/id1331367687)

Pilot a digital vessel in this roguelike arcade game to defend humanity from an alien invasion. Destroy enemies with a powerful orbiting Node, collect upgrades, and unlock permanent enhancements to customize your play style. Experience dynamically generated levels for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Roguelike arcade gameplay, Orbital Node destruction, Acquire game-changing Enhancements, Permanent upgrades via Cassettes, Dynamically generated levels, Pixel art graphics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Planetary Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-idle/id6450142774)

Explore planets with a retro sci-fi idle theme. Hire scientists for passive income, tap for boosts, and research expeditions for discoveries. Prestige to reset with permanent upgrades and unlock perks with rare QBits.

**Highlights:** Hire Scientists for passive income, Tap to boost active income, Research expeditions for discoveries, Prestige system with permanent upgrades, Earn QBits for powerful perks, Offline progress for 6 hours

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Booster Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Research Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Quantum Pack | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nodeshifter free?

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

### Is Planetary Idle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nodeshifter or Planetary Idle?

Planetary Idle is rated higher. Nodeshifter averages 4.5 out of 5 from 76 ratings, while Planetary Idle averages 4.8 from 77 ratings.

### Do Nodeshifter or Planetary Idle have ads?

Planetary Idle shows ads; Nodeshifter does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nodeshifter or Planetary Idle?

Nodeshifter ships an update every 2 months, and Planetary Idle weekly. Most recently, Nodeshifter was updated on October 5, 2026 and Planetary Idle on October 1, 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.*