# Terraforming Assistant vs Spirit Guide

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Terraforming Assistant at none against Spirit Guide's 6. Terraforming Assistant also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 79%). Spirit Guide's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (145 vs 28). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spirit Guide sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Terraforming Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Terraforming Assistant against 4.7 for Spirit Guide. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spirit Guide has 145 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Terraforming Assistant's written reviews are positive against 79% of Spirit Guide's.

Terraforming Assistant ships an update every 6 months, Spirit Guide every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Terraforming Assistant | Spirit Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-assistant/id1419254320/reviews)** | [4.7 (145 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spirit-guide/id1452929632/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **145** |
| Positive reviews | **94.4% of reviews** | 79.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 170 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alan You](https://appshunter.io/developer/1419254319) | [Nerd Room Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448288726) |

## What reviewers say

### Terraforming Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-assistant/id1419254320)

This app digitally replaces your physical player mat for the board game Terraforming Mars. It automates generation advancement, resource setup by corporation, and tracks game history, allowing you to restore past game states.

**Highlights:** Automatic generation advancement, Automatic resource setup by corporation, View transaction history, Restore game state, Supports all expansions and promo corporations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Spirit Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spirit-guide/id1452929632)

This app enhances the board game experience by tracking game elements, providing information on spirits and adversaries, and managing game logs. It offers features like a setup guide, randomizer, and scoring calculator, with cloud backup for game logs.

**Highlights:** Energy/Element Trackers, Spirit, Scenario, Adversary Info, Achievement Tracker, Win/Loss Tracking, Setup Guide, Randomizer, Game Log with Cloud Backup

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nice Contribution | $0.99 | one-time |
| Good Contribution | $2.99 | one-time |
| Jagged Earth DLC | $2.99 | one-time |
| Horizons of Spirit Island DLC | $2.99 | one-time |
| Nature Incarnate DLC | $2.99 | one-time |
| Great Contribution | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Terraforming Assistant free?

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

### Is Spirit Guide free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Terraforming Assistant or Spirit Guide?

Terraforming Assistant is rated higher. Terraforming Assistant averages 4.9 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Spirit Guide averages 4.7 from 145 ratings.

### Do Terraforming Assistant or Spirit Guide have ads?

Neither Terraforming Assistant nor Spirit Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Terraforming Assistant or Spirit Guide?

Terraforming Assistant ships an update every 6 months, and Spirit Guide every 5 days. Most recently, Terraforming Assistant was updated on October 24, 2026 and Spirit Guide on October 24, 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.*