Comparison

Star Traders vs Dune

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Star Traders

Command your own starship and crew in a vast, procedurally generated open universe. Forge your path as a pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, or explorer, influencing factions and shaping your crew through your choices in this epic sci-fi RPG.

Highlights
  • Open universe exploration
  • Multiple captain careers (26 jobs)
  • Spaceship customization (350+ upgrades)
  • Crew assembly and talent management
  • Dynamic narrative and faction influence
  • Crew molding based on player choices
  • Varied difficulty options including permadeath
Features
Read full description

You are the captain of a starship venturing through a massive open universe. Customize your crew and take command at the helm of your very own ship as you explore a galaxy torn apart by internal strife, alien threats, and political intrigue. Command your ship and crew as a space pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, and more in Star Traders: Frontiers – an epic space RPG from Trese Brothers Games. Venture forth into a massive open universe, rich with adventure and the lore of the Star Traders. Choose your path by assembling and commanding your custom crew and spaceship in a constantly evolving galaxy torn by internal strife, political intrigue, and alien threats. Will you fly as a pirate terrorizing shipping lanes, join the solar wars as a military captain, or track targets across the stars as a fearsome bounty hunter? - Explore a rich, open universe: Discover endless procedurally-generated galactic maps, meet unique characters, and take on enemies to conquer the galaxy! - Become an intergalactic captain: Take on the role of a spy, smuggler, explorer, pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, and more (26 jobs total)! - Customize your own spaceship: Choose from more than 350 upgrades and 45 ship hulls to build your very own vessel to venture across the vast reaches of space. - Assemble and tailor a loyal crew: Assign talents and equip specialized gear for every spaceship crew member. - Experience an ever-changing narrative: Decide to make friends or foes with other factions and influence political, economic, and personal vendettas. - Mold the crew by your choices: As you make decisions and set the tone for your ship, your crew will grow and change to match. Destroy enemy ships with all hands on deck and your crew will become more bloodthirsty and savage. Explore distant worlds and loot dangerous wastelands and your crew will become intrepid and clever ... or scarred and half-mad. - Varied Difficulty Options! play with save slots to try out different builds or storylines or turn on character permadeath and enjoy classic roguelike experience - Achievement Unlocks: accomplish story and challenge goals to unlock additional optional (but not better) content like new starting ships and new starting contacts First there was the Exodus – when survivors of a great war left the ruins of the Galactic Core behind in search of a new home in the stars. Scattered worlds were claimed on the fringe of the galaxy. Each pocket of survivors held on to an isolated set of worlds while trying to rebuild under the great law of Shalun. Three centuries later, technology has brought them back together again. Discovery of the hyperwarp has bridged what was once an unimaginable distance between far-flung colonies, long-lost families, and political factions. With that reunification has come great economic prosperity. The hyperwarp reestablished the transportation of cargo, goods, and technologies between the quadrants – but it has also brought great strife. Political rivalries have been rekindled, blood has been shed in age-old feuds, and the fires of war have been stoked. Amidst the political infighting, a ruthless revolution is rising – and the fervent explorers of the hyperwarp have awoken something that was better left asleep. Our very first game, Star Traders RPG, took hundreds of thousands of gamers on an interstellar adventure. Star Traders’ success and overwhelmingly positive reception helped to launch Trese Brothers Games. It was the adventures of our community’s star-crossed captains that put us on a trajectory to share more of our worlds, ideas, and dreams. We set out to capture the loneliness, bravery, and camaraderie of people living together in a spaceship sailing across the stars. It is with great pride that after releasing four other games in the Star Traders universe, we’ve created a sequel to the original Star Traders RPG. Step onto the bridge of your starship, take to the stars, and create your own story in Star Traders: Frontiers.

About

Dune

Engage in strategic warfare and political intrigue on the desert planet Arrakis. This award-winning board game adaptation blends deck-building and worker placement mechanics. Compete against AI, other players online, or face unique challenges and rotating game modes.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Worker placement strategy
  • Online multiplayer
  • Local AI battles
  • Unique challenges
  • Rotating Skirmish Mode
  • Achievement system
Features
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Immerse yourself in the world of Dune. Experience the ultimate blend of strategy and intrigue as you navigate the treacherous landscapes of Arrakis in the award-winning board game Dune: Imperium! Battle online, locally with AI, or against the formidable House Hagal. Earn Achievements that showcase your prowess as a leader. Embark on more than a dozen Challenges that will test your wit and cunning. Compete for badges in the rotating Skirmish Mode where no two games are the same! Control the Spice. Control the Universe. Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. Raise your banner above the vast wasteland before you. As the Great Houses of the Landsraad marshal their forces and their spies, whom will you influence, and whom will you betray? A tyrannical Emperor. The secretive Bene Gesserit. The shrewd Spacing Guild. The ferocious Fremen of the Deep Desert. The power of the Imperium can be yours, but war is not the only way to claim it. Dune: Imperium blends deck-building and worker placement in a deeply thematic new strategy game where the fate of the Empire hangs on your decisions. Will you seek political allies or rely upon military might? Economic strength or subtle intrigues? A council seat… or a sharpened blade? The cards are dealt. The choice is yours. The Imperium awaits.

Screenshots

Star Traders4 screens
Dune4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Star Traders at none against Dune's 3. Star Traders also leads on price ($6.99 vs $10.99) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.0). Dune's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On review sentiment, ads, chart position and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Star Traders costs $6.99 and Dune $10.99 up front. Dune sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Star Traders asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dune holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dune has 5K ratings behind it against 673, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Star Traders's written reviews are positive against 79% of Dune's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Traders ships an update every 3 weeks, Dune every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Star Traders versus Dune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar TradersDune
Price$6.99 — better$10.99
Rating4.6 (673 ratings)4.9 (5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.9% of reviews79.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6735K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#40#18 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size316 MB804 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperTrese BrothersDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Star Traders

All ratings668 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative20.4%

Dune

All ratings4,922 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews491 reviews
Positive79.0%
Neutral6.1%
Negative14.9%

User reviews

Star Traders

From 673 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Impressive depth and complexity
  • 🌍 Vast open-world with endless possibilities
  • 🔍 Engaging story and lore
  • 🤖 Diverse gameplay options (trading, exploration, combat, etc.)
  • 🕹️ Satisfying ship and crew management

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Steep learning curve, lacks clear tutorials
  • 🔍 Repetitive or tedious aspects in late game
  • 📱 UI/UX issues on smaller mobile devices
  • 🎲 Frustrating RNG elements and difficulty spikes
  • 🔒 Lack of cloud save functionality

Dune

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful implementation
  • 💪 Challenging AI
  • 🕹️ Great digital adaptation of the board game
  • 🕰️ Quick gameplay sessions

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Obtrusive DRM
  • 🕹️ No local multiplayer/pass-and-play
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔁 Slow reloading when switching between app and game
  • 🔍 Difficulty seeing card details

Bugs and requests

Star Traders

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crew combat screen UI issues causing accidental input
  • Reputation/faction system bugs leading to unexpected outcomes
  • Crashes and freezes when navigating certain screens
  • Inconsistent behavior with ship component upgrades

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to customize ship colors and appearances
  • Option to command/control multiple ships as a fleet
  • More end-game content and progression systems
  • Improved UI scaling and optimization for larger screens
  • Cloud save/sync functionality across devices

Dune

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Intrigue card issues
  • Inconsistent login credentials
  • Notification problems
  • Victory points reset bug

Requested features

4 requests
  • Controller support
  • Pass and play mode
  • Ability to choose leaders
  • Expand card detail visibility

In-app purchases

None

Star Traders

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Dune

One-time3
  • Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Immortality$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Uprising$10.99

Questions

Is Star Traders free?
Star Traders costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dune free?
Dune costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Star Traders or Dune?
Dune is rated higher. Star Traders averages 4.6 out of 5 from 673 ratings, while Dune averages 4.9 from 5K ratings.
Do Star Traders or Dune have ads?
Neither Star Traders nor Dune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Traders or Dune?
Star Traders ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dune every 5 days. Most recently, Star Traders was updated on October 26, 2026 and Dune on October 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, Star Traders or Dune?
Star Traders currently peaks at #40 in the App Store charts, and Dune at #18. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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