Mars vs Lunar, Inc
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!
Lunar, Inc
Build a business empire on the moon in this idle simulator. Manage resources, construct buildings, and hire employees to earn profits even when you're offline. Ascend to tycoon status through strategic growth and resource management.
- Idle business simulation
- Resource management
- Business building
- Employee management
- Offline profit generation
- Tycoon progression
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It's Lunar Inc., the idle business simulator where you go to the moon to get rich! In Lunar Inc, you start with just a handful of money, a plot of empty lunar real estate, and a dream. You must build your way to profits and business tycoon glory by collecting and managing resources, building businesses, and managing employees. Your businesses will continue to run while you are away from the game, earning you vital idle profits that you can use to grow the company. Do you have what it takes to become the ultimate idle lunar business tycoon? Play Lunar Inc today and find out!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mars at 4.1 against Lunar, Inc's 3.0. Mars also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Lunar, Inc sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mars holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars has 26 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Mars ships an update every 2 months, Lunar, Inc every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mars | Lunar, Inc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (26 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2.6 GB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Stefan Nyul | Brandon Stecklein |
Customer experience
Mars
Lunar, Inc
In-app purchases
Mars
- Logistics contract$0.99
- MAA Gold Membership$1.99
- Sponsors contract$2.99
Lunar, Inc
- 100 Ape Coins$0.99
- Lunar, Inc Premium$2.99
- 500 Ape Coins$4.99
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- 1000 Ape Coins$9.99









