# Mars vs Colony Zero

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Colony Zero at none against Mars's 3. Colony Zero also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Colony Zero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mars ships an update every 2 months, Colony Zero every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mars | Colony Zero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-the-arrival/id1458927524/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **26** | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 2.6 GB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stefan Nyul](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458927523) | [Benjamin Foster](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893375389) |

## 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 |


### Colony Zero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colony-zero/id6802980716)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mars free?

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

### Is Colony Zero free?

Colony Zero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Mars or Colony Zero have ads?

Both Mars and Colony Zero show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mars or Colony Zero?

Mars ships an update every 2 months, and Colony Zero every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mars was updated on October 5, 2026 and Colony Zero on October 10, 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.*