Comparison

WingMate Companion vs Ark Nova

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

Head to head
About

WingMate Companion

This app enhances the board game experience by managing player actions, goals, and scoring. It offers features like player setup, Automa management, and detailed game result summaries. Unlock full scoring and solo play through in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Player setup and action cube assignment
  • Automa player selection and difficulty
  • End-of-round goal tile management
  • Automatic scoring for goals and points
  • Game result summaries and sharing
  • Automa move display and tracking
Features
Read full description

WingMate is an unofficial companion app for the award winning board game Wingspan, designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games. The app lets you: * assign a name and action cube color for each player, and order the players based on seating position * select an Automa player as one of the five players as well as difficulty * pick or randomly draw the end-of-round goal tiles * randomly draw the starting player and show the first player for each round * display Automa moves based on the Automa cards included in the game. Automatically tracks face-down birds, eggs and end-of-round cubes * score each player's total for the end-of-round goals, and then display the action cubes on the goal board * total each player's points per category (birds, bonus cards, end-of-round goals, eggs, food on cards and tucked cards) * automatically sum the values of each bird you score by tapping the point value of each bird * show and share a summary of the game results The free version of WingMate lets you score a single player. To fully score a game, you need to purchase the Scoring Unlock via an in-app purchase on the WingMate Store. To play a full solo game, you need to additionally purchase the Automa Unlock. A 7-Day Free Trial is available. WingMate requires iOS 18.0 or later. WingMate is not an official Stonemaier Games product, and is created with permission of Stonemaier Games. Special thanks to Elizabeth Hargrave, Jamey Stegmaier and Natalia Rojas, Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, and Beth Sobel for creating Wingspan, and David Studley and the Automa Factory for creating the Automa. Cardenio Modern by Nils Cordes, Bebas Neue by Font Fabric and Kronos by Lyft are used under their respective licenses. German translation proofreading by Nadine Bomhard. French translation proofreading by Thierry Bordet.

About

Ark Nova

Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.

Highlights
  • Plan and design a modern zoo
  • Build enclosures and accommodate animals
  • Support global conservation projects
  • Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
  • Upgrade action cards for gameplay
  • Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
Features
Read full description

Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.

Screenshots

WingMate Companion4 screens
Ark Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WingMate Companion at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ark Nova's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On rating, ads 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

WingMate Companion is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. WingMate Companion sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Ark Nova asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for WingMate Companion against 4.8 for Ark Nova. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 267 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of WingMate Companion's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ark Nova's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WingMate Companion ships an update every 2 months, Ark Nova every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
WingMate Companion versus Ark Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWingMate CompanionArk Nova
PriceFree — better$10.99
Rating4.7 (267 ratings)4.8 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2671.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#40 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB682 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimothy ChernaDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

WingMate Companion

All ratings267 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral14.5%
Negative22.6%

Ark Nova

All ratings1,262 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

WingMate Companion

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ark Nova

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • iPad Flash exit issue
  • Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
  • Full screen mode
  • Option to reverse zoom direction
  • Improved card readability/zoom

In-app purchases

11 purchases

WingMate Companion

One-time11
  • 7-day TrialFree
  • European Expansion$0.99
  • Automa Unlock$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Oceania Expansion$1.99
  • Asia Expansion$1.99
  • Americas Expansion$1.99
  • Scoring Unlock$2.99
  • Scoring Bundle (2020)$3.99
  • Automa Bundle (2020)$4.99
  • Scoring Bundle (2020)$4.99
  • Automa Bundle (2022)$5.99
None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WingMate Companion free?
WingMate Companion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WingMate Companion or Ark Nova?
Ark Nova is rated higher. WingMate Companion averages 4.7 out of 5 from 267 ratings, while Ark Nova averages 4.8 from 1.3K ratings.
Do WingMate Companion or Ark Nova have ads?
Neither WingMate Companion nor Ark Nova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WingMate Companion or Ark Nova?
WingMate Companion ships an update every 2 months, and Ark Nova every 3 weeks. Most recently, WingMate Companion was updated on October 26, 2026 and Ark Nova on October 30, 2026.

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