Comparison

THE SPECTRUM vs Maelstrom

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

Head to head
About

THE SPECTRUM

Guide falling photons to collect hues evenly and create a unique spectrum. This immersive experience is best enjoyed in a dark room, allowing the ever-changing motion of lights to spark your imagination.

Highlights
  • Collect falling photons
  • Create a color spectrum
  • Evenly collect hues
  • Immersive light motion
  • Spark imagination
Features
Read full description

You are the light. Mil­lions of pho­tons are fall­ing. Let's start a journey to seize the lights. If you hit a pho­ton, you can get it, The col­lect­ed color is dis­played as the spectrum. The goal is to col­lect hues even­ly. When you move the flow is dis­turbed, How­ev­er, it is sometimes useful to cap­ture more light. The ever-chang­ing mo­tion of lights invokes your imagination. Let's weave a sto­ry only for you. * When play­ing with the room dark You can en­joy a more im­mer­sive ex­pe­ri­ence.

About

Maelstrom

Read full description

Enter the vector storm. Maelstrom: Vector Arcade is a fast, score-driven arcade shooter built around shifting geometric webs. Swipe around each web, fire into its lanes, and destroy incoming enemies before they reach your ship. Every level brings a new shape, rhythm, and tactical challenge. Survive escalating waves, unleash ZAP when the screen becomes overwhelming, and enter OVERDRIVE for an even more intense run. FEATURES • Fast swipe-and-fire controls • A wide variety of distinctive vector webs • Escalating enemy waves and hazards • ZAP emergency weapon • OVERDRIVE mode • Optional rewarded continue • Local high-score chasing • English, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, and Japanese support How long can you survive the vector storm?

Screenshots

THE SPECTRUM3 screens
Maelstrom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: THE SPECTRUM at none against Maelstrom's shown. THE SPECTRUM also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). Maelstrom's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

THE SPECTRUM ships an update fortnightly, Maelstrom every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
THE SPECTRUM versus Maelstrom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTHE SPECTRUMMaelstrom
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB17 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKEITA YASUIJohn Verco

In-app purchases

None

THE SPECTRUM

No in-app purchases

None

Maelstrom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is THE SPECTRUM free?
THE SPECTRUM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Maelstrom free?
Maelstrom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do THE SPECTRUM or Maelstrom have ads?
Maelstrom shows ads; THE SPECTRUM does not.
Which is updated more often, THE SPECTRUM or Maelstrom?
THE SPECTRUM ships an update fortnightly, and Maelstrom every 2 days. Most recently, THE SPECTRUM was updated on October 19, 2026 and Maelstrom on October 13, 2026.

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