# Polysphere vs Starling Ascent

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starling Ascent at 100% against Polysphere's 48%. Starling Ascent also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Polysphere's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Polysphere is free to download; Starling Ascent costs $3.99 up front. Polysphere sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Starling Ascent asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polysphere | Starling Ascent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (607K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polysphere-art-puzzle-3d/id1440756080/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **607K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 293 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AI Games FZ](https://appshunter.io/developer/1478916023) | [Luke Dowding](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792886348) |

## What reviewers say

### Polysphere

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polysphere-art-puzzle-3d/id1440756080)

Restore scattered picture pieces by rotating them until they form a complete low-poly image. Assemble a variety of colorful pictures, from animals to fruits, in this relaxing art and puzzle game.

**Highlights:** Rotate picture pieces, Assemble low-poly images, Variety of pictures (animals, fruits), Unique mechanics, Bright and colorful visuals, Combines art and puzzle genres

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| Butterflies 10 Arts Pack SALE | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cats Artworks Pack SALE | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unicorns Artworks Pack SALE | $0.99 | one-time |
| Flowers Artworks Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aquarium Artworks Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Monsters Artworks Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| People Artworks Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| No Subscription Full Access | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Colorful and vibrant visuals
- 🧠 Challenging brain puzzles
- 🕰 Relaxing and calming gameplay
- 👍 Satisfying when puzzles are solved

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Excessive ads and paywalls
- 🔒 Locked content behind subscription
- 🤔 Puzzles sometimes solve themselves
- 🐛 Technical issues with level progression

**Reported bugs**

- Levels not registering as completed
- Ads not loading properly
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- More free puzzles and levels
- Reduce frequency of ads
- Customizable difficulty settings
- Ability to save/share completed puzzles


### Starling Ascent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starling-ascent/id6792886346)

Pilot a small robot through treacherous caves to recover lost power cores. Master momentum-based flight and avoid instant-death hazards across five unique worlds to restore light to a darkened civilization.

**Highlights:** Momentum-based flight controls, Core collection and delivery objectives, Five distinct worlds with unique hazards, Instant-death environmental traps, Fuel management for thrust, AI companion narration and guidance, Time and damage challenges

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Polysphere free?

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

### Is Starling Ascent free?

Starling Ascent costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Polysphere or Starling Ascent have ads?

Polysphere shows ads; Starling Ascent does not.

### Which is updated more often, Polysphere or Starling Ascent?

Polysphere ships an update every 3 weeks, and Starling Ascent every 3 weeks. Most recently, Polysphere was updated on November 6, 2026 and Starling Ascent on November 6, 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.*