Mars vs Space Crew Dragon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mars
Engage in a scientific simulation of establishing a Mars colony. Manage a small group of settlers, research technologies, and build a thriving settlement from a single module. Compete with other human-controlled colonies for success on the Red Planet.
- Scientific Mars settlement simulation
- Research and development of technologies
- Exploration of the Red Planet
- Building and managing specialized structures
- Managing settler types and life cycles
- 3D view of settlement and Mars surface
- Offline playability
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Settle on MARS in a mixture of game and scientific simulation. Take control over a tiny group of 10 settlers and choose a landing site on the barren Mars. Develop your venture from one single landing module into a thriving settlement with hundreds of specialized buildings and even more inhabitants. Research & development of new technologies as well as exploration of the Red Planet are key for establishing a permanent presence in this hostile environment. And you are not alone. Other settlements, each one controlled by a real human somewhere on Earth, are starting to grow everywhere and a competition for being the most successful Mars colony has already begun. Features: - Scientific orientated building & simulation of a Mars settlement - Background story in 6 phases with according phase goals - Mars simulation in 30x real time (even running when app is not active) - Choosing one of 7 Earth organizations providing (dis-)advantages - Research & development of 152 individual technologies - Construction, maintenance & repair of 51 individual building - 35 individual building enhancements (no level 1,2,3...) - Sending Mars exploration teams and analyzing found soil samples - Production & dispatching of 23 different resource/module types - Assignment of 5 settler types to all activities in the settlement - Settler life cycle including children and elders - 3D view of own settlement in authentic Mars topography - Panning & zooming of the Mars surface in high resolution 3D - 100% usable without Internet connection - Optional online: ranking list & other settlements on Mars surface - Unlocking of advanced app functionalities step by step - Tutorial explaining all app functionalities - Contains some Ads but only after 15 Minutes of game and very decent - Contains In-App-Purchases but NO PAY TO WIN! - This is a peaceful app! NO FIGHTING, NO KILLING, NO WAR!
Space Crew Dragon
Experience a realistic rocket launch and recovery simulation. Aim to dock with the International Space Station after successfully landing your booster. This game is inspired by the historic Crew Demo2 mission.
- Multi-stage rocket launch
- First stage booster recovery
- Sea platform landing
- ISS docking simulation
- Based on real historical mission
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Launch a multi-stage rocket and follow a crew capsule mission from Earth to orbit and back. Play through the stages of the journey: • Rocket launch and booster landing • Earth orbit and docking with the International Space Station • Undocking and atmospheric reentry • Parachute descent Practice each stage as you work toward completing the mission. Explore the sequence of a spaceflight through a game inspired by crewed missions to the space station.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Space Crew Dragon at none against Mars's 3. Space Crew Dragon also leads on ratings volume (174 vs 26). Mars's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 38 months) and review sentiment (66% vs 47%). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Mars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Space Crew Dragon asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Mars against 4.1 for Space Crew Dragon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Crew Dragon has 174 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Mars's written reviews are positive against 47% of Space Crew Dragon's.
Mars ships an update every 2 months, Space Crew Dragon every 38 months. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Mars | Space Crew Dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (26 ratings) — better | 4.1 (174 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews — better | 47.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 | 174 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 38 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2.6 GB | 352 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stefan Nyul | Renzo Macedo |
Customer experience
Mars
Space Crew Dragon
In-app purchases
Mars
- Logistics contract$0.99
- MAA Gold Membership$1.99
- Sponsors contract$2.99
Space Crew Dragon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mars free?
Is Space Crew Dragon free?
Which has better reviews, Mars or Space Crew Dragon?
Do Mars or Space Crew Dragon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mars or Space Crew Dragon?
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