# Mars vs Realistic Virus Simulator

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Realistic Virus Simulator at none against Mars's 3. Realistic Virus Simulator also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 66%). Mars's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 7). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Realistic Virus Simulator 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 Realistic Virus Simulator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Mars's written reviews are positive against 100% of Realistic Virus Simulator's.

Mars ships an update every 2 months, Realistic Virus Simulator daily. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mars | Realistic Virus Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-the-arrival/id1458927524/reviews) | **[4.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realistic-virus-simulator/id6466716587/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **26** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 2.6 GB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stefan Nyul](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458927523) | [Andres Brockmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/1691955969) |

## What reviewers say

### Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-the-arrival/id1458927524)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Logistics contract | $0.99 | one-time |
| MAA Gold Membership | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sponsors contract | $2.99 | one-time |


### Realistic Virus Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realistic-virus-simulator/id6466716587)

Design and simulate your own viruses in a dynamic virtual world. Observe how they spread, affect populations, and impact individuals with customizable parameters. Learn about epidemiological dynamics through realistic simulations.

**Highlights:** Create custom viruses, Realistic population simulation, Dynamic environmental factors, Monitor hospitalization and mortality, In-depth statistics, Educational insights

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mars free?

Mars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Realistic Virus Simulator free?

Realistic Virus Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mars or Realistic Virus Simulator?

Realistic Virus Simulator is rated higher. Mars averages 4.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Realistic Virus Simulator averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.

### Do Mars or Realistic Virus Simulator have ads?

Mars shows ads; Realistic Virus Simulator does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mars or Realistic Virus Simulator?

Mars ships an update every 2 months, and Realistic Virus Simulator daily. Most recently, Mars was updated on October 22, 2026 and Realistic Virus Simulator on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*