Comparison

Star Traders vs Ember Realms

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

Ember Realms

Engage in single-player real-time strategy, commanding troops and spells to conquer enemy towers. Choose from distinct factions, build powerful spell combinations, and explore a campaign across diverse landscapes. Test your skills in increasingly challenging randomized realms.

Highlights
  • Real-time strategy gameplay
  • Multiple playable factions
  • Customizable spell combinations
  • 15-level campaign mode
  • Endless randomized conquest mode
  • Offline play support
Features
Read full description

Claim towers. Command the battle. Conquer the realm. Ember Realms is a single-player real-time strategy game where every troop movement and spell can turn the tide. Grow your forces, seize enemy buildings, and choose when to defend or launch your next attack. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Lead the swift, resilient Jade Vanguard, the hard-hitting Ashen Legion, or the spell-powered Violet Order. Each faction brings its own strengths to the battlefield. BUILD YOUR SPELL COMBINATION Choose two spells before battle. Call down fireballs and thunder storms, freeze your opponents, strike with Zap, or reinforce your buildings with Rally. EXPLORE A 15-LEVEL CAMPAIGN Travel across a scrolling world map through coastal, forest, crystal, canyon, and volcanic landscapes. Face the Forest Guardian, Ashen Colossus, and Ember Dragon in boss battles every five levels. MASTER THREE DIFFICULTIES Play the campaign on Relaxed, Standard, or Veteran. Return to completed levels to earn bronze, silver, and gold laurel crowns, with your highest achievement displayed on the map. TAKE ON ENDLESS CONQUEST Conquer randomized realms that grow tougher with each victory. Choose your faction and spells at the start, save your run to continue later, and see how many stages you can conquer. Optionally enable Game Center to compare completed runs with friends and players worldwide. Learn the essentials in the guided tutorial, play battles offline, and enjoy original music. Internet access and Game Center are required only for online rankings.

Screenshots

Star Traders4 screens
Ember Realms4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ember Realms at Free against Star Traders's $6.99. Ember Realms also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Star Traders's advantage is ratings volume (674 vs 3) and chart position (#42 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Ember Realms is free to download; Star Traders costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ember Realms holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Traders has 674 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Traders ships an update every 3 weeks, Ember Realms daily. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Star Traders versus Ember Realms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar TradersEmber Realms
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (674 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings674 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#42 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.1 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size316 MB76 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTrese BrothersDANIEL IMAD BIROUTY

Customer experience

Star Traders

All ratings668 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive73.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative20.3%

Ember Realms

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Ember Realms

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Star Traders

No in-app purchases

None

Ember Realms

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Star Traders free?
Star Traders costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ember Realms free?
Ember Realms is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Star Traders or Ember Realms?
Ember Realms is rated higher. Star Traders averages 4.6 out of 5 from 674 ratings, while Ember Realms averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Star Traders or Ember Realms have ads?
Neither Star Traders nor Ember Realms shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Traders or Ember Realms?
Star Traders ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ember Realms daily. Most recently, Star Traders was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ember Realms on October 29, 2026.

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