Comparison

Star Jolt vs GridTrace

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

Head to head
About

Star Jolt

Experience a fast-paced, retro arcade space game focused on high-score chasing. Master lightning-fast reflexes and precise control to navigate cosmic debris and compete globally. Unlock unique ships and replay endlessly for the ultimate challenge.

Highlights
  • Global leaderboards
  • Unlockable ships
  • Ghost ship races
  • One-hand gameplay
  • Record and share runs
  • Achievements
Features
Read full description

Challenge yourself, your friends, and players worldwide in a fast-paced retro arcade space game built for pure high-score chasing. Star Jolt is a hardcore 80s-inspired arcade space racer where lightning-fast reflexes, precise control, and nerve decide everything. Games are short, brutal, and endlessly replayable — perfect for one-hand, portrait play anytime, anywhere.  “New Games We Love” — Apple “Hidden Gems” — Apple “The Best Free iPhone Games 2023” — TechRadar “Best Free iPhone Games” — Macworld Can you navigate the cosmic debris and claim your spot on the global leaderboard? • Global leaderboards — climb the rankings and chase the perfect run • Achievements for long-term mastery • 20 unique ships to unlock — each with its own feel • Race against ghost ships from other players and your own best runs • One-touch, one-hand gameplay in portrait mode • Record and share your highscore attempts “Death comes often, but because games are so short, you’ll instantly want to try again — not least because of Star Jolt’s humor, entertaining hidden features, and eye-popping visuals.” — TechRadar “It laughs in your face as your digits repeatedly fail you, ending games within mere seconds. But the compulsion loop is strong — you’ll want another crack immediately.” — Macworld The Mission: Clean Up the Galaxy Space is full of dangerous junk — not just near Earth, but also near the left shoulder of Orion. There, a civilization of annoying lizard-like aliens is locked in an eternal race against their own creations: stupid, but friendly robots. As the unlikely hero of both sides, only you can keep them from tearing themselves apart — by flying faster, surviving longer, and cleaning up space one crash at a time. Reach for the hottest scores. Crash. Retry. Improve.

About

GridTrace

Navigate complex line paths, capture territories, and complete blocks while evading enemy chasers. Compete globally via Game Center integration to climb leaderboards and earn achievements. This retro-style game offers easy-to-learn but challenging gameplay.

Highlights
  • Navigate intricate line paths
  • Trap territories and complete blocks
  • Evade enemy chasers
  • Game Center integration
  • Global leaderboards
  • Collect achievements
Features
Read full description

Get ready for high-stakes retro action in GridTrace! Navigate intricate line paths, trap territories, and complete blocks before enemy chasers trap you. Every move counts as you clear the board level by level. Want to prove your skills? With Game Center fully integrated, you can climb the global leaderboards, compare scores with friends, and collect achievements as you conquer each arena. Easy to play, tough to master, and endlessly replayable. Download GridTrace now and take your place on the leaderboard!

Screenshots

Star Jolt4 screens
GridTrace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GridTrace at none against Star Jolt's 2. GridTrace also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Star Jolt's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Star Jolt sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. GridTrace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Jolt ships an update every 3 weeks, GridTrace monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Star Jolt versus GridTrace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar JoltGridTrace
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (845 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings845 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeardybird ABEric Brooks

Customer experience

Star Jolt

All ratings827 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive88.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative9.0%

GridTrace

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Star Jolt

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezing during runs
  • Crashes on certain device models
  • Purchase restoration issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Sensitivity adjustment options
  • More ship/character customization
  • Expanded story or progression system
  • Ability to name/customize player profile

GridTrace

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Star Jolt

One-time2
  • Remove all ads + unique ship$2.99
  • Unlock all ships$7.99
None

GridTrace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Star Jolt free?
Star Jolt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GridTrace free?
GridTrace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Star Jolt or GridTrace have ads?
Both Star Jolt and GridTrace show ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Jolt or GridTrace?
Star Jolt ships an update every 3 weeks, and GridTrace monthly. Most recently, Star Jolt was updated on November 2, 2026 and GridTrace on October 25, 2026.

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