# Asteroid Defender vs Solar System Sim

The clearest difference is rating: Asteroid Defender at 5.0 against Solar System Sim's 4.5. Asteroid Defender also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). Solar System Sim's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 5). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Asteroid Defender holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar System Sim has 4.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Asteroid Defender's written reviews are positive against 80% of Solar System Sim's.

Asteroid Defender ships an update every 4 months, Solar System Sim every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Asteroid Defender | Solar System Sim |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteroid-defender/id1485192906/reviews)** | [4.5 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-system-sim/id6447612221/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **4.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 126 MB | 514 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IMABEAR STUDIOS LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1186065593) | [WPC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1681830786) |

## What reviewers say

### Asteroid Defender

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteroid-defender/id1485192906)

Engage in classic arcade-style gameplay to protect Earth from incoming asteroids. Tap to steer and hold to accelerate your ship's spin to destroy threats before they reach the planet.

**Highlights:** Classic arcade action, Tap to change direction, Hold to spin faster, Protect Earth from asteroids, Simple controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Solar System Sim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-system-sim/id6447612221)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HD Mars | $2.99 | one-time |
| HD Earth | $2.99 | one-time |
| HD Moon | $2.99 | one-time |
| No-ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| HD 3-body pack | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Realistic simulation
- 🚀 Detailed solar system
- 🚀 Ability to create custom solar systems
- 🚀 Impressive graphics
- 🚀 Frequent updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Excessive ads
- 🐛 Saving and loading issues
- 🐛 Unstable orbits

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Asteroid Defender free?

Asteroid Defender 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, Asteroid Defender or Solar System Sim?

Asteroid Defender is rated higher. Asteroid Defender averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Solar System Sim averages 4.5 from 4.2K ratings.

### Do Asteroid Defender or Solar System Sim have ads?

Solar System Sim shows ads; Asteroid Defender does not.

### Which is updated more often, Asteroid Defender or Solar System Sim?

Asteroid Defender ships an update every 4 months, and Solar System Sim every 2 weeks. Most recently, Asteroid Defender was updated on September 9, 2026 and Solar System Sim on October 3, 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.*