Colonial Tycoon vs Planetary Idle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Colonial Tycoon
Manage your own business empire on Mars in this idle simulation game. Start with limited funds and grow your wealth by making smart financial decisions and unlocking new technologies. Can you become the ultimate Martian tycoon?
- Idle money making
- Business management simulation
- Grow your business
- Unlock new technologies
- Money management tactics
- Mars colonization theme
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Colonial Tycoon is an idle money making and business management simulation game. The year is 2060 and you are one of the first colonists on the Red Planet. Some people are moving there to start a new life. Some for political and religious freedom. You are moving there to get rich! From Ape Apps and Brandon Stecklein, the developer who brought you My Colony and My Business Empire, comes Colonial Tycoon, a brand new business simulation and idle money maker game. Start out with a handful of cash and grow your business, employing wise money management tactics along the way. Unlock new technologies and licenses which allow you to expand your business like never before. Do you have what it takes to become the ultimate Colonial Tycoon? Only one way to find out - download it today!
Planetary Idle
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.
- 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
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Discover planets with a retro sci-fi idle theme with Planetary Idle! • Hire Scientists - Generate steady passive income and scale your operation. • Tap to Boost - Tap for extra cash when you’re active. • Research Expeditions - Spend money and brave scientists on one-way missions for discoveries and income bonuses! • Prestige - Reset, keep permanent upgrades, blast past your previous best. • QBits & Upgrades - Earn rare QBits and unlock powerful perks. • Play Your Pace - Short bursts or long idles; progress for 6 hours when offline. • Game Center - Many achievements to unlock!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Planetary Idle at 4.8 against Colonial Tycoon's 2.8. Planetary Idle also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 25%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Colonial Tycoon sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Planetary Idle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Planetary Idle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planetary Idle has 77 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Colonial Tycoon's written reviews are positive against 50% of Planetary Idle's.
Colonial Tycoon ships an update every 5 months, Planetary Idle weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Colonial Tycoon | Planetary Idle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (11 ratings) | 4.8 (77 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 77 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 112 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brandon Stecklein | Roberto Frias Nerio |
Customer experience
Colonial Tycoon
Planetary Idle
In-app purchases
Colonial Tycoon
- 100 Ape Coins$0.99
- Colonial Tycoon Premium$2.99
- 500 Ape Coins$4.99
Planetary Idle
- Booster Pack$0.99
- Research Pack$2.99
- Quantum Pack$6.99
