# Xero Hour vs Elderand

The clearest difference is price: Xero Hour at Free against Elderand's $6.99. Xero Hour also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (90% vs 74%). Elderand's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Xero Hour is free to download; Elderand costs $6.99 up front. Xero Hour sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Elderand asks for nothing beyond the download.

Xero Hour holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elderand has 36 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Xero Hour's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

Xero Hour ships an update fortnightly, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Xero Hour | Elderand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xero-hour/id1501884848/reviews)** | [4.2 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elderand/id6446288146/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **36** |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 73.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 265 MB | 818 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Bitwad Entertainment Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1481122054) | [Plug In Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/608306412) |

## What reviewers say

### Xero Hour

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xero-hour/id1501884848)

Embark on a retro sci-fi adventure as Dr. Xero, stranded on an alien planet. Tap to navigate, collect items, and power-ups to survive hostile environments and fend off 8-bit enemies. Rebuild your ship to escape this pixelated world.

**Highlights:** Pixelated retro graphics, Chiptune progressive metal soundtrack, Tap-to-avoid gameplay, Item collection and power-ups, Ship rebuilding mechanics, Defend against enemy waves

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 150 Pack of Minerals | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ammo Reserve Tank | $1.99 | one-time |
| Radar Triangulator | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jungles of Ancient K'rell DLC | $2.99 | one-time |
| Combo Deal | $4.99 | one-time |


### Elderand

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elderand/id6446288146)

Embark on a brutal, skill-based action platformer in a Lovecraftian world. Wield diverse weapons and customize your character with RPG elements to battle terrifying creatures and explore a dark, hand-drawn pixel environment. Collect loot to upgrade your arsenal and uncover the land's secrets.

**Highlights:** Skill-based combat, Metroidvania exploration, Lovecraftian horror themes, RPG character customization, Diverse weapon arsenal, Hand-drawn pixel art, Loot collection and crafting

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game overall
- 🗺️ Deep lore and world-building
- 🎵 Amazing music and audio
- ⚔️ Challenging yet approachable combat
- 🎮 Excellent controller support (mostly)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game crashes frequently
- 🐛 Controls can be buggy and unresponsive
- 🐛 Dash function sometimes not working
- 🐛 Game freezes intermittently
- 🐛 Bosses getting stuck in animations

**Reported bugs**

- Permanent crashes
- Character spawning underneath level
- R button for subweapon not working on Steelseries Nimbus
- Dash function not working
- Game freezing for a moment

**Requested features**

- Full controller remapping for bindings
- Multiplayer PvP 'Invasions' system
- Cloud saves (iCloud)
- Adjustable button layout and size
- Ability to track materials acquired


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Xero Hour free?

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

### Is Elderand free?

Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Xero Hour or Elderand?

Xero Hour is rated higher. Xero Hour averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.

### Do Xero Hour or Elderand have ads?

Xero Hour shows ads; Elderand does not.

### Which is updated more often, Xero Hour or Elderand?

Xero Hour ships an update fortnightly, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Xero Hour was updated on October 18, 2026 and Elderand on October 25, 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.*