# Stellar! vs Vactics

The clearest difference is rating: Vactics at 4.0 against Stellar!'s 2.2. Vactics also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Stellar!'s advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 71%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stellar! sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Vactics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Vactics holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vactics has 56 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Stellar!'s written reviews are positive against 71% of Vactics's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Stellar! ships an update every 2 months, Vactics every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stellar! | Vactics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-infinity-defense/id1379005158/reviews) | **[4.0 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **56** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 70.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 309 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [SeHyeon Im](https://appshunter.io/developer/1294084939) | [Gerard Delaney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476170004) |

## What reviewers say

### Stellar!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-infinity-defense/id1379005158)

Defend the last planet with life from alien robots by controlling a spaceship and strategically placing towers. Loot spaceships and towers, upgrade abilities, and combine cards to build your unique defense strategy. Compete globally on the ranking system.

**Highlights:** Control spaceship to defend base, Select tactical upgrades, Loot spaceships and towers, Unique tower abilities, Combine spaceship and tower cards, Global ranking system

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20 GEMS | $0.99 | one-time |
| 110 GEMS | $4.99 | one-time |
| 240 GEMS | $9.99 | one-time |
| 550 GEMS | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1500 GEMS | $49.99 | one-time |
| 3200 GEMS | $99.99 | one-time |


### Vactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778)

Engage in tactical, chess-like combat by building powerful mechs to battle robotic enemies. Face randomly generated challenges and fight for a better future in this strategic warfare game.

**Highlights:** Mech building, Tactical chess-like combat, Randomly generated challenges, Mech and tech upgrades, Extended campaign, Leaderboard competition

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe to Vactics Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Vactics Pro | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative gameplay mechanics
- 👍 Deep tactical gameplay
- 🎨 Gorgeous art style
- 🎶 Excellent synthwave score
- ✨ Well-balanced gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High price for pro version
- 💸 Expensive subscription options
- 😩 Frustrating paywall
- ❓ Lacking tutorial explanations
- 🐌 Slow restart function

**Reported bugs**

- Combo attack bonus cancelled by heavy landing
- "Restore purchases" not working after update
- Cannot equip more than one ability
- Inconsistent combat: adjacent Vactic not hitting
- Cannot mount one tech in Chassis and one in Engine

**Requested features**

- Add more upgrades
- Add more game modes
- Add online co-op
- Add infinite wave competition
- Add diverging paths on map like FTL


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stellar! free?

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

### Is Vactics free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Stellar! or Vactics?

Vactics is rated higher. Stellar! averages 2.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Vactics averages 4.0 from 56 ratings.

### Do Stellar! or Vactics have ads?

Stellar! shows ads; Vactics does not.

### Which is updated more often, Stellar! or Vactics?

Stellar! ships an update every 2 months, and Vactics every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stellar! was updated on November 6, 2026 and Vactics 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.*