Comparison

Solar Express vs Space Sandbox

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

Head to head
About

Solar Express

Embark on a realistic yet casual spaceflight simulation. Explore the solar system, dock with stations, and perform powered landings on celestial bodies. Deliver supplies across planets and moons with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Realistic orbital mechanics
  • Solar system exploration
  • Space station docking
  • Powered landings
  • Supply delivery missions
  • Heads-up display navigation
Features
Read full description

Solar Express is a realistic, yet casual spaceflight simulation game. Start flying your rocket immediately (no building required), with enough delta-V to visit every planet in the solar system. Navigate using a heads-up display optimized for phones. Dock with space stations using your maneuvering thrusters. Do powered landings on the surface of moons and planets. Deliver supplies between planets and space stations around the solar system. Real orbital mechanics, real 3D simulation, real programmer art, real nerdy. :)

About

Space Sandbox

Design and evolve your own universe with realistic physics and life simulation. Explore with friends in multiplayer modes like battle royale and racing, or build together. Customize your experience and witness cosmic events unfold.

Highlights
  • Infinite celestial body creation
  • Realistic orbital mechanics
  • Terraforming and life evolution
  • Multiplayer modes (Battle Royale, Racing, Co-op)
  • Time control for accelerated evolution
  • Character customization
  • 6 distinct game modes
Features
Read full description

CREATE. EVOLVE. EXPLORE. Space Sandbox is the ultimate universe simulation where you play god. Create entire solar systems from scratch, manipulate gravity, and witness the rise of civilizations. BUILD YOUR UNIVERSE • Infinite Creation: Spawn over 50 types of celestial bodies—from burning stars and gas giants to black holes and mysterious gem planets. • Realistic Physics: Master the art of orbital mechanics. Create binary star systems and watch real N-body physics in action. • Terraforming: Transform barren rocks into lush, habitable worlds. Control temperature and atmosphere to support life. LIFE EVOLUTION Guide life through 9 distinct eras: • Microscopic Bacteria • Sea Life & Land Animals • Dinosaurs • Civilization (Early to Industrial) • Space Age: Watch your creations launch their own ships! MULTIPLAYER SANDBOX Explore the galaxy with friends! • Team Battle Royale: Fight for dominance in shrinking solar zones. • Space Racing: Compete in high-speed races through asteroid fields. • Co-op Building: Construct massive space stations together. FEATURES • Time Control: Speed up time to see millions of years pass in seconds. • Meteorite Economy: Harvest resources to unlock rare celestial objects. • 11 Star Types: From massive blue giants to tiny red dwarfs. • Orbital Mechanics: Set realistic orbits with barycenter physics. • Temperature System: Heat planets to create habitable zones. • 6 Game Modes: Battle Royale, Deathmatch, CTF, Racing, Survival, Exploration. • Character Customization: Design your own space explorer. • Stunning Visuals: Beautiful 3D graphics optimized for iPhone and iPad. The universe is in your hands. What will you create?

Screenshots

Solar Express4 screens
Space Sandbox3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Space Sandbox at 100% against Solar Express's 0%. Solar Express's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.8) and iOS requirement (10.2 vs 18.5). On price, ratings volume, ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar Express holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Solar Express's written reviews are positive against 100% of Space Sandbox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Solar Express versus Space Sandbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar ExpressSpace Sandbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (7 ratings) — better2.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better5
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.2 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGilman TolleMarcus Lam

Customer experience

Solar Express

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Space Sandbox

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Solar Express

No in-app purchases

None

Space Sandbox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Express free?
Solar Express is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Space Sandbox free?
Space Sandbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Solar Express or Space Sandbox?
Solar Express is rated higher. Solar Express averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Space Sandbox averages 2.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Solar Express or Space Sandbox have ads?
Neither Solar Express nor Space Sandbox shows ads.

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