# Terraforming Mars vs TMHelper

The clearest difference is price: TMHelper at Free against Terraforming Mars's $8.99. TMHelper also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 45%). Terraforming Mars's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 2). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

TMHelper is free to download; Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and TMHelper sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Terraforming Mars against 4.5 for TMHelper. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Terraforming Mars has 7.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Terraforming Mars's written reviews are positive against 67% of TMHelper's.

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, TMHelper every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Terraforming Mars | TMHelper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmhelper/id1627456078/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 45.1% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#26** | — |
| Size | 353 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Twin Sails Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135862620) | [Mike Mailyan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1547807750) |

## What reviewers say

### Terraforming Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030)

**Currently charting:** #26 Top Paid · Board, #79 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Lead a corporation to terraform Mars by building cities, forests, and oceans. Manage resources, complete objectives, and increase your Terraform Rating to make the planet habitable. Compete against rivals and lead humanity into a new era.

**Highlights:** Official board game adaptation, Play against AI or up to 5 players, Online and offline multiplayer, Corporate Era variant, Solo challenge mode, Expansions available for new content

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Original Promo Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Terraforming Mars - Prelude | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hellas & Elysium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Venus Next | $3.99 | one-time |
| Colonies | $3.99 | one-time |
| Big Box Promo Pack | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Faithful adaptation of board game
- 👍 Great UI and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth solo gameplay
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Unreliable multiplayer experience
- 🕰️ Long load times to resume games
- 🤯 Confusing multiplayer features
- 🤖 Weak AI opponents

**Reported bugs**

- Science tags not counted properly
- Power infrastructure card not functioning
- Inability to place tiles in some cases
- Saved games not loading properly

**Requested features**

- Undo button for actions
- Ability to see final game metrics
- Notifications for turn updates
- Ability to track win/loss records
- More expansion content


### TMHelper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tmhelper/id1627456078)

A companion app for Terraforming Mars and its Ares Expedition expansion. It allows players to easily track global parameters, manage player boards, and keep score for up to five players. Designed for quick, touch-friendly adjustments.

**Highlights:** Track global parameters (oxygen, temperature, oceans), Manage player boards with production/resource controls, Keep Terraforming Rating and player scores, Dedicated Ares Expedition mode, Smart, touch-first controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TMHelper 7-day Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Mars | $0.99 | one-time |
| Earth | $1.99 | one-time |
| Saturn | $2.99 | one-time |
| Jupiter | $3.99 | one-time |
| TMHelper Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Terraforming Mars free?

Terraforming Mars costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is TMHelper free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Terraforming Mars or TMHelper?

Terraforming Mars is rated higher. Terraforming Mars averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while TMHelper averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Terraforming Mars or TMHelper have ads?

Neither Terraforming Mars nor TMHelper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Terraforming Mars or TMHelper?

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, and TMHelper every 10 months. Most recently, Terraforming Mars was updated on November 10, 2026 and TMHelper on November 3, 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.*