Comparison

Phage Invaders vs Solar System Sim

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

Head to head
About

Phage Invaders

Defend the city of Bacterium from viral invaders by controlling a Cas9-inspired hero. Slash invading DNA and viral parts to protect the city. Features progressive levels and an infinite survival mode.

Highlights
  • Control Cas9-inspired hero
  • Slash invading DNA
  • Progressive difficulty levels
  • Survival mode
  • High score leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Defend the city of Bacterium from viral annihilation! The city is under attack and needs a hero to save the day! Play as noble defender Cris Perotein. You’ll need to act fast to stop an army of viral villains from taking over the city. Will you be quick enough? Use the on-screen controller to move Cris Perotein, our Cas9-inspired hero. Run Cris into the invading DNA to slash and destroy it. Careful, once viral parts appear, nothing can stop them! Features: • Play through levels that get harder and harder to learn the CRISPR ropes. • Try "survival mode" to battle a brutal, infinite onslaught of phage invaders. • Add your high score to the Game Center and see how you rank! *** Share on social media with #PhageInvaders *** About the IGI: The Innovative Genomics Institute is an academic research organization in the Bay Area. The IGI excites, engages, and empowers diverse audiences with clear and reliable resources. To learn more, visit https://www.innovativegenomics.org

About

Solar System Sim

Simulate and explore celestial bodies within our solar system and beyond. Create your own solar systems, experiment with gravity and physics, and observe orbital mechanics in action.

Highlights
  • Explore planets and moons
  • Visit nearby stars
  • Create custom solar systems
  • Gravity and physics simulation
  • Recalculate orbits
  • Newton's laws implementation
Features
Read full description

Zoom from a planet's surface out to distant galaxies, then reshape the whole system with your own hands. Solar System Sim is a real-time gravity sandbox built on Newton's laws and real astronomical data. Every body you add, move or destroy recalculates the orbits of everything else, live. • Smash worlds together: impact craters carve into the surface, firestorms sweep the globe, and glowing debris rains back down. • Build your own universe: add planets, moons, asteroids and comets with their own size, mass and looks, or customise the ones already there. • Land anywhere: drop to a first-person view on any planet's surface and experience its environment. • Sculpt rings: add particle rings and watch gravity shape them in real time. • Witness real eclipses: solar and lunar, with real-world astronomical precision. • Follow comets: watch them streak past and interact with the bodies they meet. • Leave the Solar System: travel to remarkable nearby stars and find them within the Milky Way. • Feel the scale: see the true vastness of space, from a pebble-sized moon to the nearest galaxies. Whether you're here to learn how gravity really works or just to break planets with it, explore at your own pace. Start your cosmic adventure with Solar System Sim.

Screenshots

Phage Invaders3 screens
Solar System Sim4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phage Invaders at none against Solar System Sim's 5. Phage Invaders also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12 vs 15.0). Solar System Sim's advantage is ratings volume (4.3K vs 8) and review sentiment (80% vs 67%). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Solar System Sim sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Phage Invaders asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Phage Invaders against 4.5 for Solar System Sim. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar System Sim has 4.3K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Phage Invaders's written reviews are positive against 80% of Solar System Sim's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Phage Invaders versus Solar System Sim: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhage InvadersSolar System Sim
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8 ratings)4.5 (4.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews80.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings84.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB532 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInnovative Genomics InstituteWPC

Customer experience

Phage Invaders

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Solar System Sim

All ratings4,269 ratings
Positive86.3%
Neutral5.4%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews1,110 reviews
Positive80.1%
Neutral10.2%
Negative9.7%

Bugs and requests

Phage Invaders

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Solar System Sim

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Planets/moons disappearing after saving and loading
  • Bright flashes and screen distortions
  • Planets/objects getting stuck inside stars
  • Crashes when colliding or editing certain objects
  • Inconsistent orbital mechanics and moons ejecting from planets

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more galaxy and nebula textures
  • Implement realistic supernova effects
  • Allow customization of planet atmospheres and terrain
  • Add binary star systems and rogue planets
  • Introduce a galaxy maker and collision feature
Show 5 more
  • Implement a reverse time lapse option
  • Add more speed options (128x, 256x, etc.)
  • Introduce a population counter and life simulation for planets
  • Allow custom city lights and vegetation on planets
  • Add a Roche limit feature to observe tidal disruption

In-app purchases

None

Phage Invaders

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Solar System Sim

One-time5
  • HD Mars$2.99
  • HD Earth$2.99
  • HD Moon$2.99
Show 2 more
  • No-ads$3.99
  • HD 3-body pack$6.99

Questions

Is Phage Invaders free?
Phage Invaders is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar System Sim free?
Solar System Sim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phage Invaders or Solar System Sim?
Solar System Sim is rated higher. Phage Invaders averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Solar System Sim averages 4.5 from 4.3K ratings.
Do Phage Invaders or Solar System Sim have ads?
Solar System Sim shows ads; Phage Invaders does not.
Which is updated more often, Phage Invaders or Solar System Sim?
Phage Invaders ships an update every 4 days, and Solar System Sim every 4 days. Most recently, Phage Invaders was updated on October 7, 2026 and Solar System Sim on October 13, 2026.

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